Above the Highest Seas
by James Doyle
Summary: London's accidental discovery of a new technology changes the course of human history, and sets the stage for a new and exciting voyage for the Seven Seas High gang, as well as some surprising new friendships
1. Prelude

_Standard Disclaimer: All characters not created by me are the respective intellectual property of the Walt Disney Company and MGM. This work is created for my own enjoyment, and that of others, and not to diminish or infringe upon the rights of said holders. In other words: Don't sue me; I'm your fan!_

_A/N: This is the first story in the _Faster Than Life _series, a multi-fandom crossover series about the impact of the Stargate program on ordinary folks._

**Above the Highest Seas**

**By**

**James Doyle**

Chapter I: Prelude

"Replace the two five-kilodyne subspace stabilizer bars with three four-kilodyne bars," instructed Bailey Pickett.

"Replacing," replied Cody Martin, skillfully manipulating the holographic image in front of him.

"Decrease neutrino absorption to eight-point-two rads."

"Decreasing," replied Cody. "Yeah, I think this might actually work."

"Okay, then," said Bailey with a sigh of frustration. "Let's give it a try."

Cody pressed the green holographic button marked "Start Simulation." A set of holographic readouts and graphs appeared.

"Graviton discharge at eighty five hundred gees," reported Bailey. "Antigrav safeties holding. Energy levels at five percent…twenty percent…sixty percent….eighty five percent and holding. Force shields are holding, energy output is steady, no spikes. Forward time index to T-plus twenty four hours."

"Fast-forwarding," acknowledged Cody.

"Energy levels and safety systems still holding," reported Bailey. "Cody, we did it!" exclaimed Bailey as she threw her arms around Cody's neck and kissed him full on the lips.

"Um, you might wanna take another look at those readouts," warned Cody.

Bailey's jaw dropped, and her eyes flew open wide. "Neutrino absorption is dropping off. Antigrav emitters two and three are offline. Power levels increasing…three hundred percent…six hundred percent…Cody, if we hit eight hundred percent of rated maximum…"

"Way ahead of you," interrupted Cody. Attempting to compensate…neutrino absorption normal. Antigrav emitter three is online. Unable to activate number two, recalibrating one and five to compensate. Power levels at ninety percent of rated maximum and holding."

Bailey sighed in relief. "That was close. At least we got it under…"

Just then, all of the readouts spiked, a brilliant flash of light appeared, and then holographic image disappeared, replaced by "Simulation Failure" in big, red letters.

"Control," finished Bailey, with a distinct air of disappointment in her voice. She took a moment to examine the automated report. "Great, we just imploded the entire solar system!"

Cody took Bailey's hand in his. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll get it."

"I wish I had your confidence."

Just then, they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Is that you, London?" asked Cody.

"Yeah, it's me," London yelled from behind the door.

"Come on in," sighed Bailey. "We're done here."

London entered the cabin and switched the light on.

"Thanks again for letting use your Fashiontron," said Cody.

"Oh, no big deal," replied London. "The outfits I wanted to try out just came in today, so I didn't have much use for it until now. How's…whatever it is you're doing…going?"

Bailey said nothing, but began to tear up.

"We've had a few…setbacks," supplied Cody. "But we'll get it."

"I'm sure you will," assured London. "But not today! I get to try on the latest designs before they're even made!"

"That's great," said Bailey, trying to be happy for London, "Thanks again for letting us use the machine."

With that, Cody and Bailey departed. London locked the door and stripped down to her bra and panties. She went to insert a memory card into the device, only to find that Cody and Bailey had left theirs behind. Curious, she pressed the button on the small LCD control screen marked "Restart Previous Simulation."

"Hmm, must be some kind of puzzle," said London to herself, observing the various holographic pieces laid out before her.

London took about twenty minutes manipulating the pieces into where she thought they would fit. She couldn't tell what it was, but it looked more or less complete, so she decided to test her results by pushing the "Start Simulation" button. The holographic readouts appeared, all remaining within acceptable tolerances for several minutes. The program fast-forwarded twenty-four hours, as per Cody's original request, and the readouts continued to give stable readings. The program then self-terminated, rewarding London with a message of "Simulation Successful" in large green letters.

"Yay me!" exclaimed London, jumping and clapping in her idiosyncratic fashion. Having completely forgotten her original objective, she donned the blouse and Bermuda shorts she'd set aside, and skipped off to her next distraction.

**End of Chapter One**

_Stay tuned! More to come!_


	2. Conspiracies and Revelations

**Above the Highest Seas**

**By**

**James Doyle**

Chapter Two: Conspiracies and Revelations

Six months had passed since anyone had seen London Tipton. Loathe as some aboard the _S.S. Tipton _were to admit, they all missed her. They all rejoiced that she'd found joy and peace living with her father and learning from her homeschooler, and they all looked forward with great anticipation to her weekly e-mails. All, that is, except Bailey Pickett, who knew it was all a lie.

Bailey had witnessed London's disappearance. The circumstances had been so fantastic that no one believed her. Nevertheless, she made it her top priority to get to the bottom of this mystery, and to bring those responsible to justice. It had consumed her entire life. It had destroyed her relationship with Cody, and had nearly cost her her spot in the Seven Seas High program.

"Mr. Moseby, I need to talk to you" said Bailey, trying to catch his attention as she entered the ship lobby. "You too, Cody," she added as she saw him walking along deck just outside.

"What is it, Bailey?" asked Moseby, not looking up from his computer. "As you can see, I'm a very busy man."

"I know now that London wasn't abducted by aliens," stated Bailey.

"I'm very glad to hear it," replied Moseby, still not looking up from his computer. "Perhaps now you'll give your studies the intention they deserve."

"She was abducted by the Air Force," added Bailey.

Moseby closed his laptop, walked over to Bailey from behind his desk, and put a hand on Bailey's shoulder.

"Bailey, you worry me so. You need to realize that London wasn't abducted. She's staying with her father right now. Do you still believe her e-mails are fabricated?"

"No," said Bailey. "But I do think they're being heavily censored. She won't give us the vaguest clue as to where she is or what she's doing. Surely London of all people would've slipped up by now. She can't keep a secret to save her life!"

"Her father is working on a very sensitive project. I doubt she knows much about it herself. Now, please try not to think about this too much. London recently informed me that she'll be coming to visit soon. I'm sure you'll be happy to see her alive and well, and we can finally lay this business to rest."

"Cody, you believe me, don't you?" asked Bailey as Moseby returned to his duties.

"I'd like to, Bailey," said Cody. "But this is all so far-fetched."

"Cody, I probably would've swallowed her cover story myself, except I saw her disappear. It was the most bizarre thing I'd ever seen. Rays of light surrounded her and stood on end, making this eerie ringing sound. Then a flash of light came out of her midsection and consumed her, and her image disappeared through the ceiling with a thump-foom sound."

"I know, Bailey," said Cody. "You've told me this a hundred times before."

"Don't you remember those Tipton employees who came to get London's things? Well, their personnel records are bogus. Nobody in the company has ever seen or heard of them. Plus, they also took the Fashiontron and our memory card."

Cody shrugged. "I always assumed they took it because London didn't need it anymore, though I thought perhaps the other guests might like to use it."

"Cody, I made backups of those files on both of our laptops. Doesn't it seem the least bit suspicious the both of our hard drives crashed at the same time?"

Cody scratched his chin. He'd heard this evidence many times before; yet for some reason, it was all beginning to click.

"Cody, I never doubted you for a minute when you described all of Arwin's crazy inventions. Isn't it strange that he disappeared too, after having sent us those files?"

"All right, Bailey," conceded Cody. "Show me what you have."

Zack joined Cody and met with Bailey in her now-private cabin, hunched over a laptop neither had seen before.

"New laptop?" asked Cody.

Bailey nodded. "It's just for evidence. I keep it in a secret place, so Moseby and the Air Force can't get at it."

"Yes, about that: Just what you makes you think the Air Force is involved?"

"Watch and learn," said Bailey, bringing up a multimedia file. "Arwin said he received these files from a childhood friend of his from a science camp they both attended in Canada. Well, I made a few discreet inquiries into the camp's records. It turns that old friend of Arwin's is, in fact…." Bailey paused to advance to the next slide, which displayed a photo of a young fellow with a receding hairline and a smug grin on his face. "…Dr. Rodney McKay."

"Rodney McWho?" asked Zack.

"Precisely," said Bailey. "Officially, he's a tenured professor at the University of Calgary. However, everything he's published, near as I can tell, merely has his name attached to it. I made contact with a grad student at Calgary, who's talked to a number of staff members. McKay's been spotted on campus maybe three times in the past five years. What's more interesting is where he's been spotted."

Bailey brought up a collage of Rodney McKay sightings. "Peterson Air Force Base, for one. For another, a technology conference in Atlanta."

"Wow, a scientist going to a technology conference," taunted Zack. "Stop the presses!"

"Shut up and let her finish," admonished Cody.

"What's more interesting is who he was seen talking to at this event, among others." Bailey read off names as she brought up slides. "Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell, Lt. Col. Samantha Carter, Lt. Col John Sheppard, General Hank Landry, and General Jack O'Neill. These individuals all have very highly classified service records. However, their names all come up here."

Bailey brought up a web page. "I managed to save this website just before it went down without a trace."

"Bailey, this is a conspiracy website," noted Cody. "Any sort of whacko can create one of these. Just because he claims to have been associated with this…what's it called…Stargate program, doesn't mean he's for real."

"I would have thought the same thing," replied Bailey as she brought up another page. "Except that he makes specific mention of these."

Cody's eyes popped wide open as he saw detailed descriptions of many of the devices that he and Bailey had worked on in the Fashiontron.

"Remember the last time you and I worked on that thing?" asked Bailey.

Cody nodded.

"Well, I went back later that night to find that the simulation had completed successfully. Furthermore, I noticed that London hadn't run any of her fashion programs. I went to ask her about it, and she said that she'd 'solved' my 'puzzle.' And that's when she disappeared."

Bailey put a hand on the shoulder of either brother. "Don't you see? London knows how these devices work, and they want to make sure she doesn't blab. It was probably an oversight that they didn't take us as well."

"This big!" exclaimed Zack.

"This is gargantuan!" exclaimed Cody. "We've got to blow the lid off this thing, or we're dead!"

"That's not going to happen," assured Bailey. "I still have Hannah Montana's private number from when we met her. She can help us create the biggest media buzz in history. The Air Force will have no choice but to release London and come clean about what they've been doing."

"Why would they need to release me?" interrupted London Tipton. "I'm right here!"

"London!" the three of them exclaimed in unison, smothering her in a group hug.

"Where have you been?" demanded Bailey. "We were afraid you were being held against your will. Or worse."

"Everything will be explained," interrupted Moseby. "Right now, I need all of you to pack your bags. We'll be leaving in twenty-four hours."

"Where are we going?" asked Zack.

"It's a surprise!" replied London.

"Also it is imperative you tell no one of what has been discussed in this room," added Moseby.

"I won't do it, Mr. Moseby," protested Bailey. "You and London are a part of the conspiracy, and you want to silence us, as well. I won't let you do it. This has to end. Now."

London sighed. "Moseby, would you excuse us for a minute?"

Moseby nodded, and escorted Zack and Cody out of the room.

"Bailey," said London, softly. "What I'm about to show you tomorrow is the most incredible thing you've ever seen. There's a good reason for all the secrets, and once you see for yourself, you'll understand. I know I haven't been the best friend or roommate, and I'm sorry for that. But right now, I need you to trust me. Can you do that?"

Bailey nodded. "Yeah, I can."

"Awesome," replied London. "I'll help you get packed."

Bailey restrained herself from responding "Who are you, and what have you done with London?" to the notion of London packing, let alone helping someone else do so.

The next morning, London, Bailey, the twins, Woody, Moseby, Tutweiler, and a bellhop pushing a cart with all of their luggage proceeded down the lift to the lower decks. Once there, they proceeded down the hot and humid corridor to a hatch with a biometric scanner on either side.

"Identify: London Tipton," said a computer voice as London placed her hand on the scanner.

"Identify: Marion Moseby. Access granted," said the voice as Moseby did likewise with the other scanner. The hatch popped open, and the bellhop held it open.

They proceeded into a room that was empty, save for a small LCD touch-screen on the far bulkhead, a circular hatch in the ceiling, and a circle of black-and-yellow caution tape on the floor directly beneath the hatch. The bellhop wheeled his cart into the circle and left, closing the door behind him. London motioned for the group to assemble around her as Moseby manipulated the control panel.

Moseby finished and joined the group inside the circle just as the hatch opened. A loud electrical hum and a bright light emanated from the hatch, five large metal rings descended from the hatch and hovered in place around them. A beam of light descended through the rings, after which the rings returned to their default position, and the hatch closed, leaving the room empty.

**End of Chapter Two**

_A/N: Stargate fans know what just happened. For Suite Life fans, you'll just have to read on!_


	3. Galactic High

**Above the Highest Seas**

**By**

**James Doyle**

Chapter Three: Galactic High

The students and faculty of Seven Seas High stood in fear as a ray of light shone forth from the top-most of the rings that surrounded them, and descended through the rings. Curiously, the rings descended into the floor rather than returning to the ceiling. Nonetheless, they seemed to be in the same room. Still, something was different. The air was considerably drier, and they found their steps had a certain spring.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" said London, breaking the silence. "Let's go!" she said as she exited the room. They followed London through the hatch to find that it led not into the ship's corridor, but straight ahead into a long, cylindrical hallway.

"I don't think we're in Kansas, anymore, Toto," whispered Zack.

Bailey scoffed. "Yeah, like I've never heard that one before."

The group proceeded down the corridor, through another hatch, and down a ladder which led through another corridor. Once they'd reached the bottom, London directed them through yet another hatch and along another yet another corridor, stopping them before they reached the final hatch.

"Everybody close your eyes," instructed London as she led each of them by the end through the hatch. She took a moment to position them where she wanted them in the next room before giving further instruction.

"Open your eyes," instructed London. They opened their eyes and found themselves looking out of a window, beyond which lay the lower section of a space station, and beyond that, a spectacular orbital view of earth.

"Hello, my friends," greeted a voice familiar to some of them from behind. They turned about to face a man whose face only two of them had ever seen in the flesh. "Welcome to Tipton One," said Wilfred Tipton, shaking each of their hands in turn.

Tipton led the group along on the outer corridor in which they stood, from which Cody could appreciate the sheer size and complexity of the station.

"It's much bigger than the schematics London showed me," commented Cody.

"Yes, well, that was simply the platform from which to construct the rest of it," commented Tipton. "The rest will be explained shortly. We're here," he said as he led them into the main control room, where a tall blonde woman in an Air Force jumpsuit awaited them.

"This is Colonel Samantha Carter, our interim station commander," introduced Tipton.

"Thank you, Wil," said Carter, surprising many of them that Tipton would allow anyone to call him by his first name. "Now, your parents have all been informed that you'll be touring classified facilities as part of your sea school curriculum, and have signed our standard civilian non-disclosure agreement on your behalf." A sergeant handed them each a clipboard.

"Sergeant Siler is giving each of you a copy of the text of the agreement. I'd like each of you to take a moment to read it and initial at the bottom." Overwhelmed with curiosity, the students eagerly signed the agreements.

"Very good," said Carter when all of the clipboards had been returned. "Feel free to interrupt me at any time if you have questions. Tipton One is a prototype orbital defense platform, designed and constructed under contract with Tipton Industries."

"So let me get this straight," asked Woody. "You had a hotel company build your space fort."

Tipton smiled. "Tipton Industries has been a front for classified R&D since World War One."

"Isn't this a violation of international treaties?" asked Cody.

"Those treaties are administered by the United Nations," explained Carter. "Tipton One was constructed for the purpose of defending against extraterrestrial threats, which is under the jurisdiction of the International Oversight Advisory. IOA jurisdiction supersedes that of the UN."

Carter directed the group over to a large monitor, and brought up her presentation.

"This is a stargate, a device that connects to another stargate to create an artificial wormhole, through matter streams can be sent using molecular deconstruction…"

"Are you getting any of this?" whispered Zack to Woody as Carter continued to explain the mechanics of the Stargate.

"Not a word," admitted Woody. "But Colonel Carter is smoking hot."

Zack smiled and nodded in agreement.

"There's of course much more to it than that," concluded Carter. "But you'll be learning all about the physics and history of the Stargate program in your new curriculum."

"Excuse me?" asked Tutweiler. "Just what new curriculum would that be?"

"I see we're getting ahead of ourselves," supplied Tipton. "Tipton Industries has partnered with the Air Force and the IOA to create a new educational program. We call it Galactic High."

"Galactic High?" echoed several of them.

"We wanted to call it Galaxy High," explained London, "But apparently, that's the name of some obscure Saturday morning cartoon from the 80s."

"We would like to invite all of you to participate in our pilot program," continued Tipton.

The students deliberated among themselves for a few minutes.

"You don't have to decide right now," assured Tipton. "But I think after you've seen your accommodations, you'll be happy to sign up."

"Now if you'll follow me, I'll show you to the launch bay," directed Carter as she led them out of the control room.

The group traveled through several more corridors to the lower section of the station, and into the launch bay. Several aircraft like none any of them had ever seen lined both sides of the bay.

"These are F-302 fighter-bombers," explained Carter. "They're capable of both aerial and space-borne combat. Their inertial dampeners allow for speeds and maneuvers that would be lethal to the pilots of any conventional military aircraft."

Carter brought them to the end of the bay, where a small spacecraft bearing the Tipton logo awaited them, along with another Air Force Colonel, a lean, square-jawed fellow with short brown hair and blue eyes, who immediately caught the eye of Bailey and London.

"This is Colonel Cameron Mitchell, head of the exploration team SG-1," introduced Carter. "He'll be showing you around during your flight. It was a pleasure meeting all of you. If you'll excuse me, I have a station to run."

"Good morning, students," greeted Mitchell, causing Bailey to soon over the sound of his Kansas accent. "As Sam mentioned, I am Colonel Cam Mitchell, and I am the leader of SG-1. I'm also an F-302 pilot, so feel free to ask me any questions you might have about space fighting."

"Will you be flying our shuttle?" asked Bailey.

Mitchell smiled. "No, I think I'll leave that to an old friend of yours."

Zack's heart stood still as the pilot appeared from behind the craft. The hair was shorter, and had reverted to its natural brown, but the eyes and the face he recognized immediately.

"Maddie!" cried Zack to the woman in the Tipton-colored pilot's uniform, before losing his composure, running forward and throwing his arms around her. Maddie smiled at the feeling of Zack's embrace.

"It's good to see you too," she replied.

"Well, I believe your luggage has already been loaded up, so let's take our seats," instructed Mitchell. Zack brought up the rear, eager to catch up with Maddie.

"So you're a pilot now," said Zack, obviously impressed.

"I just fly the Tipton shuttles," explained Maddie. "The computer does most of the works, so I'm more of a chauffer than a pilot."

"Still, it is pretty cool."

Maddie smiled. "Well, since you think it's so cool, how'd you like to sit in the cockpit with me?"

"Wow, awesome!" exclaimed Zack, making no effort to contain his excitement.

Maddie and Zack took their seats in the cockpit, where she handed Zack a clipboard with the preflight checklist.

"Passengers secure?" asked Maddie over the intercom.

"Seatbelts fastened, seatbacks and tray-tables in the upright and locked positions," replied Mitchell, not seeming to mind flight attendant duty.

"Activate naquidah generator," instructed Zack, reading from the checklist.

"Naquidah generator activated, power level is nominal at eighty percent. Switching to internal power. Disconnecting umbilical"

"Activate life support."

"All hatches sealed, life support is nominal."

"Activate inertial dampeners."

"Inertial dampeners activated."

"All right, looks like we're ready to go."

"Tipton One control, Tango India eight seven requesting departure clearance," requested Maddie over the radio.

"Stand by," instructed Sergeant Siler. The bay door opened, leaving only an invisible force shield between the bay and the blackness of space.

"Tango India eight seven, Tipton One control, you are clear for departure," instructed Siler.

Maddie lifted the shuttle off the deck and proceeded through the force shield, accelerating the craft at an incredible rate.

"Is it just me, or are we headed for the moon?" observed Cody as he looked out the window and saw the moon getting larger.

"That's right," confirmed Mitchell. "The trip that took the Apollo 11 astronauts four days will only take a couple of hours for us."

"I figured from the designs Arwin sent us that our technology was more advanced than the general public was aware, but I didn't think we were anywhere near this advanced," admitted Bailey.

"We weren't until a few years ago," informed Mitchell. "Reverse-engineering alien technology has advanced military science by thousands of years."

They began their descent to the lunar surface shortly after earth disappeared beneath the horizon.

"Fitzpatrick," said Mitchell over the intercom.

"Yes, Colonel?" replied Maddie.

"How's about banking thirty degrees to port."

"Roger that. Banking to port."

Though the passengers felt nothing, they could see the view from the port windows move toward the surface. There, they saw a vast complex of lights dotting the lunar darkness.

"You can't see it very well at night, but this is our new lunar shipyard," informed Mitchell. "We currently have twenty _Daedalus-_class battle cruisers under construction, as well as a number of smaller craft."

"What are those flashing lights?"

"That is the Asgard matter synthesizer. We weren't able to deploy it on this scale until we had a large enough power source. Thanks to you, we're now able manufacture our own zero point modules."

"You're telling us that none of this would've been possible if London hadn't figured out how to build the ZPM?" asked Cody, astonished.

London and Mitchell both smiled and nodded. "You got it, bud."

"And just how do you plan on keeping all of this secret?" asked Tutweiler.

"Actually, we don't," explained Mitchell. "With the resources now available to us, we're confident we can address any threat to the security of earth, and provide equality of access. We're planning to open the stars to the people of earth within one year."

"Did you hear that, Maddie?" said Zack, hearing the news over the intercom.

"I heard it about six months ago, but it's still pretty amazing," replied Maddie.

A few moments later, the shuttle returned to lunar orbit, and approached a large spacecraft, constructed with architecture similar to that of the Tipton hotel, about five hundred meters from stem to stern, and about a hundred meter across.

"Ladies and gentlemen," announced London, "I give the world's first earth-built _commercial _interstellar spacecraft: the _CSV Tipton._"

**End of Chapter Three**


	4. London's New Life

**Above the Highest Seas**

**By**

**James Doyle**

Chapter Four: London's New Life

"_Tipton _command, Tango India eight-seven, requesting docking clearance," requested Maddie as she began her final approach.

"Tango India eight-seven, _Tipton _command, you are clear for docking. Proceed to port 11."

A few moments later, the shuttle slid into its docking port. The group proceeded out of the shuttle, along the entryway, and into the main shuttle bay area.

"All right, folks," announced Colonel Mitchell. "I have some annoying paperwork to attend to. I'm sure you're eager to get settled in, so these nice bellhops will show you to your staterooms. Ship's engineer Arwin Hawkhauser will be conducting your tour tomorrow. With that, I'll see you at orientation."

"Mr. Moseby, you look a little worried," observed Tutweiler as the group walked down the corridor toward the lifts.

"To be candid, I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing here," explained Moseby. "I'm sure my assistant can manage the boat for a few days, but given what I've seen today, well…nothing is certain anymore."

"I hear you on that one," sympathized Tutweiler. "I assume they'll want to integrate me into the educational program here. I've been around, for sure, and I've experienced a lot of different places and cultures. That's why Mr. Tipton hired me. But space is an entirely new experience for me. Out here, I'm just as green as any of these kids."

"This is ridiculous," assured Moseby. "You and I are both highly motivated, intelligent, and adaptable professionals. I'm sure we'll meet any challenge this experience holds for us."

Tutweiler smiled. "You're right."

A few minutes later, the group reached deck nine, the student dormitory level, where the bellhops showed them to their rooms.

"Not you, Bailey," said London. Puzzled, Bailey nonetheless remained on the lift. Moseby and Tutweiler got off at deck six, the senior officers' cabins. London and Bailey proceeded all the way to deck one. When they got off the elevator, Bailey found herself looking down through a window at the _Tipton_'s incredibly spacious lobby. She followed London to a door at the very end of the corridor.

"Well, are you gonna let us in or not?" asked London with mock impatience.

Bailey pressed her thumb to the biometric scanner, which to her great surprise caused the door to slide open. Bailey and London proceeded through a short inner hallway and into a spacious and luxuriously-appointed common area, which a spectacular view of the ship's forward section, and the space beyond.

"What is this, the Presidential Suite?" asked Bailey in disbelief.

London scoffed. "Don't be absurd. That's two decks down, above the bridge."

Bailey looked around, and observed that the suite had already been decorated, and one of the four bedrooms, namely the aft room on the port side, clearly had an occupant.

"You're sharing your suite with me?" asked Bailey.

"Of course I am," replied London. "You're my roommate."

"But I thought you hated sharing a room with me."

"Well, you do snore like a chainsaw," noted London. "But my life over the past six months has made me see a lot of things differently."

Bailey still wondered what London had been up to the past six months, but before she could ask, London's phone rang.

"You get service here?" asked Bailey.

"Prototype subspace phone," explained London. "Good anywhere within two hundred light years of a repeater." London turned her attention to her phone conversation. "Hey Rodney, what's up? Oh, frak me, I forgot! Yeah, I'll be right down. Sorry about that. Thanks, bye."

"We'll have to settle in later," said London. "I forgot that I was supposed to help Rodney coordinate the lab relocation. Go downstairs and grab Cody, and meet me in the lobby. He'll wanna see this, too."

Bailey did as instructed and arrived in the lobby with Cody. They followed London toward the center of the lobby, where a gentleman in a Tipton doorman's uniform manned a podium with computer tablet that controlled the adjacent ring platform, which was surrounded by brass railings.

"Are we within range of Lunar Camp 4?" asked London.

"Affirmative, Miss Tipton," replied the operator.

"Good, ring us down," instructed London.

"Right away, Miss Tipton," replied the operator as he unhooked the velvet rope to let the three of them in.

"Stand clear. Transport in progress," announced the operator to the empty lobby. The rings emerged from the floor, sending the three of them down to the lunar surface.

The three of them stepped off the receiving ring platform and found themselves in an underground complex, greeted by a Marine sergeant.

"I'm sorry, Miss Tipton," admonished the sergeant. "No visitors allowed."

"These aren't visitors," explained London. "They're my new part-time lab assistants."

"Ah, you must be Mr. Martin and Miss Pickett," observed the sergeant as he reached under his desk. "Your paperwork is still being processed, but I can issue these temporary badges in the meantime."

Cody and Bailey donned their security badges, and followed London through the labyrinth of underground passages that comprised Lunar Camp 4.

"Can you believe it, Cody?" exclaimed Bailey. "We're actually on the moon."

Cody smiled and nodded. "It's pretty amazing."

London led them into a lab virtually indistinguishable from the many others in the camp. There, a flustered Rodney McKay yelled at the support staff.

"No, I told you, don't touch that!" scolded Rodney. "I'm still working on that. I'll get it myself."

"Leave these clowns to me, Rodney," offered London. "I've been dealing with incompetent movers my whole life."

"London, thank goodness you're here," greeted Rodney. "These morons have turned our lab into a war zone."

"Cody, Bailey, you're familiar with most of these experiments," instructed London. "Why don't you give these idiots some instructions?"

"I'm on it," said Cody as both he and Bailey nodded in agreement.

While helping a worker pack a miniature particle accelerator, Cody overheard a conversation between Rodney and London.

"Getting some last minute work done?" noted London, observing Rodney's scribbles on the whiteboard.

"Yeah, but I think I'm just too flustered. Honestly, I can handle recalibrating a hyperdrive while being shot at by Wraith. You'd think these cretins would be a proverbial walk in the park."

London shook her head as she reviewed Rodney's math. "Rodney, do I have to do everything for you?" admonished London as she erased a few symbols and replaced them.

"Of course!" exclaimed Rodney. "It's so bloody obvious!"

"Don't beat yourself up," encouraged London. "I get bent out of shape when people manhandle my stuff, too."

"No, you're doing that all wrong," yelled Cody. "You're going to rupture the crystalline stabilizers.

Rodney walked over to Cody and relieved the workman helping him. "I'll take it from here, chief."

"Airman, sir," corrected the workman.

"Yeah, whatever," dismissed Rodney. "Buzz off!"

"Did what I think just happened happen between you and London?" asked Cody.

"Yeah," said Rodney as he helped Cody disassemble the machine. "I'm still getting used to the idea of working with someone smarter than me."

"Are you sure we're talking about the same London?" asked Cody, astonished.

"If that surprises you, you can imagine my horror when General O'Neill says I'll be working with the infamous Air-headed Heiress of Boston."

"I know! Six months ago, she couldn't handle high school algebra. And now she's doing math that hasn't been declassified yet!"

"She said the same thing to her father when she started here, at which point I explained to her that that's what calculators are for. How do you think she cracked the riddle of the Zed-P-M? This girl has a completely intuitive understanding of sub-dimensional physics. She just needed a real challenge to jump-start her critical thinking skills."

About two hours later, the four of them had managed to disassemble and pack the entire lab, and left the noncoms to drive the tractors that carried the crates.

"London, I have to say, I'm really impressed with the work you've been doing up here," congratulated Bailey.

"Thanks," said London. "Believe it or not, I really enjoy it. I get to play with all these cool experiments, and I get to wear my stunning designer lab coats."

"Still, I'm sure it's not at all where you thought you'd end up," noted Cody.

"Life's funny that way. All my life, I'd been groomed to be a do-nothing socialite. Honestly, I think daddy thought he was going to have a boy at some point. But when that didn't happen, we had to face the possibility of my running the company someday. Now we've both realized my place is in the lab, so now I'm the Executive Director of Tipton R&D. My life has taken so many detours, I'm starting to wonder if there was ever a clear path."

"Which begs the question: Who's going to run the company when your father moves on?" asked Bailey.

"That, my friends, is a surprise," said London with her trademark grin.

The next morning, the students of Galactic High assembled in the lobby, where ship's engineer Arwin Hawkhauser met them, still dressed in his characteristic greasy coveralls, along with Maddie Fitzpatrick, who had exchanged her pilot's uniform for that of an executive staff member.

"Good morning," greeted Arwin. "As most of you know, I'm Arwin Hawkhauser, chief engineer. This is Maddie Fitzpatrick, our executive flight attendant. We'll be conducting your tour of the _CSV Tipton_, the first ever earth-built commercial interstellar spacecraft. If you'll follow me, our tour begins with the engine room."

As they entered the engine room, Maddie issued each of them hard hats. Arwin organized the group along two of the catwalks.

"The _Tipton _is, of course, the prototype ship in her class. She's powered by six Mark VI naquidah generators, two of which are located directly beneath me. The remaining four are at undisclosed locations throughout the ship. These two serve mainly to power the Tipton Industries HD-204 Hyperspace Accelerator, which you can see beneath the floor grates. Propulsion at sub-light speeds is provided by eight Tipton Industries SL-900 sub-light motors. At maximum output, these sub-light engines can achieve speeds of up to forty PSL, which can cover the distance between Earth and Pluto in about twelve hours."

Arwin turned the presentation over to Maddie for the less technical aspects of the ship, including the grand ballroom, the pool, the fitness center, the casino, the theatre, and Zack's favorite, the indoor soccer field.

Finally, Maddie and Arwin brought the group to one of the outer corridors.

"Finally, we'd like to demonstrate the lifeboats," announced Maddie. "I'll be conducting a lifeboat drill tomorrow, but right now, Arwin will explain how they work."

"Thank you, Maddie," continued Arwin. "You're probably wondering why there are only twenty lifeboats, despite the ship's capacity of four thousand. The answer is quite ingenious: The lifeboats use technology reverse-engineered from a Wraith dart. Each pattern buffer can store up to six hundred people, though protocol dictates that we limit each boat to two hundred."

"Can we see it work?" asked Woody, fascinated by the idea.

Just then, an evil grin appeared on Arwin's face as he heard the distinctive whistling of Patrick, the maitre'd.

"Ladies, gentlemen…Arwin," greeted Patrick. As Patrick walked by stern of the lifeboat, Arwin pressed a key on his tablet, causing a wide beam to emanate from the lifeboat and dematerialize Patrick. The group laughed uncontrollably, after which Arwin reactivated the beam and released Patrick from the lifeboat. Patrick stomped over to Arwin and grabbed him by the collar.

"_Not_…funny," growled Patrick into Arwin's face. Patrick then realized that he'd touched Arwin's greasy coveralls, and ran away crying "Ew…ew…ew…ew…"

That evening, Cody and Bailey helped London and Rodney reassemble the lab.

"So, are you going to tell us about this part-time lab assistant thing?" asked Cody.

"Oh, my bad," apologized London. "If you're willing, you'll be assisting us three night a week. You'll mostly be monitoring experiments for us. It only pays minimum wage, but you'll also receive college credit for undergrad research."

"Not to manage the high privilege of studying under Yours Truly," added Rodney.

"Sweet," said Cody. "I accept."

"Me too," added Bailey. "When do we start"

"Actually, you were on the clock when you helped us pack up. Rodney will send you an e-mail tomorrow with your schedules."

Cody and Rodney both departed for their cabins, leaving London and Bailey alone in the lab.

"Bailey, Cody told me this afternoon how stressed out you were when I disappeared. I didn't know you cared so much," said London.

"Of course I care," replied Bailey. "You're my friend."

"Can you forgive me for putting you through all that?"

"Of course I can," said Bailey, throwing her arms around her roommate. "Besides, this is all really cool."

"Yeah, it really is," agreed London. "Welcome to my new life!"

**End of Chapter Four**


	5. The Suite Life Blasts Off

**Above the Highest Seas**

**By**

**James Doyle**

Chapter Five: The Suite Life Blasts Off

The students of Galactic High spent the better part of the morning watching the ship's VIP guests arrive from the window overlooking the lobby whenever the _Tipton_'s lunar orbit placed her within sight of earth.

"Okay, so we've got a lot of high-profile guests, boarding a brand-new, technologically-advanced ship, for her maiden voyage. Am I the only one who sees this as a bad omen?" commented Cody.

"Hmm," pondered Zack. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Incoming transport. Stand clear," announced the ring operator.

"Ooh, here comes another one," said Woody, jockeying for a position by the window.

The rings emerged from their platform and deposited a Hispanic woman and her daughter, surrounded by a gaggle of Secret Service agents.

"Check it out guys," noted Bailey. "That's First Lady Elizabeth Martinez, and her daughter Sophie." Bailey changed to a cutesy voice. "America's Angel."

"This is bad. This is very bad," chattered Cody.

"Will you relax?" admonished Bailey. "This place is crawling with Marines, Secret Service, and Tipton Security. Plus, we've got the _Odyssey _flying escort, _and _every person on this ship has been screened."

"Screened?" dismissed Cody. "Please, they let Woody on board."

"Hey!" protested Woody.

Before the argument could continue, another group appeared on the ring platform, again accompanied by Secret Service agents.

"Who are these kids?" asked Zack.

"The girl is Meena Paroom, daughter of Raum Paroom, the Bahavian ambassador to the US," informed Bailey after a moment's examination. "Not sure who her friends are."

At about eleven-thirty, half an hour before the scheduled twelve-hundred departure, the students received text messages on their newly-issued subspace phones, informing them that the captain requested their presence on the bridge.

The students found themselves in a semi-circular room, with a window running the entire length of the arc, with instrument panels above and below it, and the captain's chair near the center. The Captain stood up and shook each of their hands in turn.

"Good to have you aboard. I'm Captain Erasmo Nuñez of the _CSV Tipton_. Miss Tipton thought you might like to be present for this historic event. Please have take a seat along the aft bulkhead, and my personal steward will see to all of your needs."

Zack had buckled himself in and was about to give the steward his drink order when he noticed that Maddie had arrived on deck.

"Flight attendants report all passengers secure, captain," reported Maddie, as she took a seat beside Zack.

"Very good, Miss Fitzpatrick," replied the captain, turning his attention to the intercom. "Status, Mr. Hawkhauser."

"All systems ready for launch," reported Arwin.

"Open a channel to _Odyssey_," ordered the captain. "This is Captain Nuñez. The _Tipton _is ready for departure."

"Acknowledged, _Tipton_. Ready when you are."

"Helm, take us out of orbit, and set course two-five-one by point zero five seven, fifty percent sub-light thrust."

"Aye, aye, captain," replied the helmsman. "Course laid in for Jupiter. ETA: Five hours."

"Very good. Miss Fitzpatrick, you're dismissed. Please see our guests out."

"Join me for lunch, Zack?" offered Maddie, catching Zack as he brought up the rear.

"Um, yeah, sure," accepted Zack.

Zack and Maddie made their way through the line at the crew mess, sampling the finest in institutional cuisine, and took a seat near the window.

"So, how've you been?" asked Maddie.

"Eh, same old, same old," replied Zack. "Going to school, babe-hounding, getting into trouble."

Maddie chuckled. "Same old Zack."

"How about you?" asked Zack. "I lose track of you for six months, and your life has completely turned around. Just how did you get to be a pilot?"

"That's kind of a funny story, actually. The Air Force rented out a ballroom at the Tipton to show off their new flight simulator. When the guests had left, they invited all Tipton employees to try it out. I don't know how or why, but somehow, I had knack for it. As it turns out, corporate was looking for candidates to fly their orbital shuttles. And so, here I am."

"So I see you like your job," observed Zack. "You haven't given up on college, have you?"

"Not a chance!" assured Maddie. "In addition to helping develop the Galactic High curriculum, several of the scientists here are teaching college classes in the evening. Great minds like Dr. Rodney McKay, Dr. Bill Lee, and…" Zack noticed Maddie swoon as she mentioned the next name. "…Dr. Daniel Jackson."

"Aren't you a little old to be crushing on your teacher?" teased Zack.

"And what about you drooling over a certain Air Force Colonel?"

"Hey, who told you about that?"

"Nobody. I was watching Colonel Carter's lecture on the monitors. I don't blame you. She's gorgeous."

"Speaking of gorgeous, what'd you do to your hair?"

Maddie growled. "Divisional dress-code. Tipton Galactic employees aren't allowed to have hair below the shoulder, or use color treatments. Now I'm just a boring old brunette."

Zack summoned up the courage to reach across the table and take Maddie's hand. "You're not boring, you're beautiful. You'll always be beautiful."

Maddie felt an emotion of equal parts joy and fear wash over her. After all these years, Zack still had feelings for her. When Zack had left for sea school, she decided to leave him be for awhile. She'd felt confident that with all the attractive young women he'd meet, he'd surely find someone else. Then, she'd come back to visit, only to find his love for her had been smoldering under the surface, just waiting to burst forth. This time, there was no avoiding. She would have to come to terms with her own feelings.

"We'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on," observed Zack. "Maybe this time we can figure things out between us."

"I'd like that," replied Maddie, holding back tears. Just then, they both received text messages, reminding them to report to the shuttle bay for Dr. McKay's lecture on Jupiter.

Later that evening, Bailey arrived in the dining hall to find Rodney McKay sitting by himself.

"Mind if I sit here?" she politely inquired.

"By all means," invited Rodney, not looking up from his data tablet.

"Don't you usually eat dinner with London?"

Rodney put down his tablet and turned his attention to his salad. "She said she was going to fabricate an excuse not to have dinner with the president of Lethal Injection Records. Evidently, she failed."

"I really enjoyed your lecture on Jupiter," said Bailey, trying to cheer him up.

"You're a lousy liar. You were more interested in the actual planet than my lecture. And why shouldn't you be? I didn't tell you anything you couldn't have looked up for yourself on Wikipedia."

"I understand," sympathized Bailey.

"You do?"

"Of course I do! You're a scientist, not a teacher. You belong in the lab, not in the classroom. You like to get your hands dirty."

"It's not just that," admitted Rodney. "I was thrilled when Wilfred Tipton asked me to consult on his new educational program. I've been saying for years kids need to get their noses out of the books and start doing science for themselves. I was bored out of my skull in high school, and even though most kids aren't nearly as smart as I am, I think they are, too."

"Well, now you have your chance! So why so sad?"

"It's Tutweiler and her cronies. They've all been thoroughly Horace Mann brainwashed."

"I really don't think that's fair," argued Bailey. "For many of them, these teaching methods are all they've ever known. Change is hard, and everybody resists it. But I'm sure they'll come around once they see that your way is better."

"I hope you're right."

"I think there's something else," noted Bailey. "It seems to me that you're a little lonely."

"That obvious?"

Bailey nodded.

Rodney continued. "When my girlfriend Jennifer found out that my job as IOA Liaison to Tipton R&D had me on temporary assignment aboard the _Tipton_, she offered to abandon her Air Force research position in exobiology and apply for the ship's surgeon job. I wouldn't hear of it. I thought it would be a waste of her talent, and I still do."

"But you miss her."

Rodney nodded. "When we get to Langera, I can gate back to wherever she is, and see her for a few days. But then, it's another two weeks on the _Tipton_, and the cycle repeats itself. Except, of course, when she's out of reach out in the field."

"It's my understanding that it's only a temporary assignment. You'll be back in your lab on Luna soon enough."

"Yeah, but she'll still be out in the field. And even when that's done, God only knows where the IOA will send either of us after that."

"Dr. McKay…"

"Rodney, please."

"Rodney, it would seem the solution to your problem is simple: Find a place where you and Jennifer can both use your talents and settle down, and to hell with the IOA."

Rodney smiled. "That is so incredibly profound that only a high school student could come up with it."

Bailey giggled. "Glad I could be of help. This Jennifer sounds like an incredible woman."

"Oh, believe me, she is."

"Do you have a picture of her?"

Rodney brought up the file on his tablet and handed it to Bailey.

Bailey smiled. "She's beautiful."

"Yeah, never understood what she saw in me, other than my legendary intellect."

Bailey laughed at Rodney's egotism. It hadn't taken her long to realize it was part of his charm.

"So now that we're spilling our guts, do I detect a bit of a spark between you and Cody?" inquired Rodney.

Bailey sighed. "We had something, but I blew it. I actually witnessed the Asgard beam that took London away. All the time she was gone, I thought you guys were punishing her for messing around with your projects. Since I was the one who let her see those projects in the first place, I thought it was my fault. So I dedicated my entire life to making things right. I guess Cody thought I cared about her more than him. Or maybe he just thought I was going crazy and couldn't bear to watch. Either way, we're history."

"Look," offered Rodney. "I'm no expert, but given what you'd witnessed and the evidence you'd gathered, it was a reasonable thing for you to assume. Having now seen what's really going on, Cody has to realize that. I'd bet he'd be willing to give you another chance."

"Do you really think so?"

Rodney nodded. "I've seen the way he looks at you. It's obvious he still cares."

"So how do I get him to ask me out again?"

"You might try asking him out. The only reason Jennifer and I are together is she made the first decisive move. Us guys can be pretty dense sometimes, and sometimes we need a girl to club us over the head and drag us back to her cave."

Just then, the alarm on Rodney's subspace phone went off.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm due back in the lab."

"Thanks, Rodney."

"You too, Bailey."

"Rodney McKay: Guidance Counselor," muttered Rodney to himself as he walked toward the lift. "Maybe I am cut out for this high school shtick, after all."

**End of Chapter Five**

_A/N: When one deals with actual nuanced characters, sometimes they do the unexpected. I knew Rodney and London would become friends, but I had no idea that he and Bailey would as well. Stay tuned; I'm sure there's more surprises for all of us!_


	6. Class is in Session

**Above the Highest Seas**

**By**

**James Doyle**

Chapter Six: Class is in Session

Zack Martin rolled out of bed and made his way toward the lift. He was pleasantly surprised when the lift stopped at deck six, and Maddie joined him.

"Morning, Zack," yawned Maddie, still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Morning," replied Zack with as much enthusiasm as he could muster first thing in the morning. "Fancy meeting you here. Headed for work?"

"No, silly," replied Maddie. "I'm going to class."

"If you and I are taking the same class, then what is it?" wondered Zack.

"Oh, you'll see."

Zack and Maddie found their way into the lecture hall, a facility furnished with stadium-style seats and work tables, each space with a built-in computer terminal. Zack took a seat in the third row from the front, and Maddie took a seat next to him. As usual, Bailey and Cody took seats in the front row, and London took a seat directly behind them.

A moment later, the teacher, a bespectacled fellow in his early forties with slightly messy brown hair, looking obviously uncomfortable in his coat and tie, walked in.

"Sorry, I'm late," apologized the instructor as he unpacked his bag and loaded his lecture materials into the computer. "I'm Dr. Daniel Jackson. I'm a civilian employee of the United States Air Force, on loan as a consultant to the Galactic High Educational Program. This is Elementary Goa'uld 1."

Jackson waited for his first slide to appear, then continued. "Goa'uld, with its various dialects, is the most widely-spoken language in the Milky Way galaxy, spoken by an estimated twenty-two billion humans, three billion Jaffa, and close to one billion members of other species.

"Goa'uld is a member of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Can anyone here give me an example of a language spoken on earth in that family?"

Cody raised his hand, and Jackson pointed to him. "Arabic."

"Very good. Arabic is a member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. It's the Afro-Asiatic language with the largest number of speakers on earth, at 422 million. Any others?"

London raised her hand, much to everyone's surprise. "Hebrew."

"Very good. Hebrew, as you probably know, is widely-known for its association with the Jewish and Christian faiths.

"Goa'uld began its life ten thousand years ago as the language of the Coptic tribes of Northern Africa. These tribes were conquered by a parasitic alien life form. As these aliens took on human form, they adopted the spoken language of the people they conquered, and styled themselves 'Goa'uld,' which means 'Children of the Gods.' Over the millennia, the Goa'uld transplanted humans throughout the galaxy to serve them. The language has of course evolved of the course of history. However, the cult of the Goa'uld has preserved as such a way that it is still clearly recognizable as the Egyptian language, even to the untrained eye.

"We'll talk more about the history of the language throughout the rest of this course. For now, let's move on to orthography. The language of the Goa'uld began as the pictograms most of us know as hieroglyphs. However, over the millennia, it evolved into a standardized phonetic system. As with most orthographies in the Afro-Asiatic family, Goa'uld is read from right to left…"

Zack struggled to keep up with the lesson, and he couldn't help but be a little jealous as Maddie swooned over Jackson's studious charm. Cody noticed that Jackson was having a similar effect on Bailey.

As class let out, London noticed Meena Paroom exiting the second row from the back, along with her two male friends: A pudgy African-American young man, and a tall, lean, blonde fellow. For some reason, the latter of the two seemed familiar to her. The sense of recognition grew stronger as the young man approached her.

"London," greeted the young man. "London Tipton?"

"Yes, that's me," replied London, surprised not that the boy recognized her, but that he seemed to know her.

"Don't you recognize me?"

"No, sorry," apologized London. "I think I'd remember you."

"Newt Livingston," clarified the young man. "We met at charity ball in D.C. about five years ago."

Suddenly, the memory returned for her, and London offered Newt a hug (a real hug, as she'd since abandoned that "air hug" nonsense,) which he accepted.

"We snuck out of the ball together," continued Newt.

"And you gave me the fifty-cent tour of Washington," added London.

"And we made it back before our parents even knew we were gone."

"Good times!" they said in unison.

"You kind of fell off the radar," observed Newt. "How's life been treating you?"

"Really well," replied London. Just then, her subspace phone beeped. "I'd love to tell you all about it, but my next class is in five minutes."

"Okay," said Newt, with a distinct air of disappointment in his voice. Then his face brightened. "Why don't you tell me about it over dinner?"

London smiled seductively. "1900 in the crew mess. Don't be late."

Cory Baxter shook his head as London walked off. "I don't believe it. I do not believe it."

"Believe what, dude?" asked Newt.

"I've spent years cultivating my own proprietary technique to woo the ladies," explained Cory, "But then you just walk up to London freakin' Tipton and reminisce about old times, and you've got her eating out of the palm of your hand."

"Dude, I'm just catching up with an old friend," argued Newt. "It's not a big deal."

Cory put an arm around Newt's shoulder. "Step back, my friend, and look at the big picture," said Cory as he moved his outstretched hand across his field of vision. "You have got yourself a dinner date with London Tipton."

"Cory, I may be dense, but I do eventually catch on. London has guys fawning over her all the time. Believe me, the last thing she wants is for me to make a big deal out of this."

"You do what you want, man," admonished Cory. "But don't come crying to me when you don't get a second date."

"Whatever happens, happens, dude," replied Newt. "It's all good."

"Well, I guess I can't argue with that. Come on; we're late for class."

Meanwhile, Bailey stood and admired Jackson as he conversed with Meena Paroom.

"Out of curiosity, what language are they speaking?" asked Zack.

"Bahavian," informed Maddie.

"Really? It sounds more like Dubinian to me," argued Cody.

"They're actually the same language," clarified Bailey. "But don't let a Bahavian or a Dubinian hear you say that."

Later that day, the students and various other passengers gathered in the main lobby, grand ballroom, and other areas with atrium ceilings. From thence, they could see Pluto and Charon approaching. As they did, Captain Nuñez appeared on the screen.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Pluto-Charon satellite system. In just a few moments we will be conducting a demonstration of Lagrange points. A Lagrange point is one of five points at which the gravitational forces of two bodies will cause a third body to remain stationary with respect to the first two bodies."

The captain then went into a more detailed explanation of the physics governing Lagrange points.

"The Pluto-Charon system is an ideal from which to visualize Lagrange points because of the short distance of just under twenty thousand kilometers between the two bodies, which is about the same as the distance from Auckland, New Zealand to Lisbon, Portugal. Both bodies will appear about twice the size of earth's moon. Charon will be to port, and Pluto will be to starboard."

A few moments later, the ship spun around and fired sub-light engines in order to stop.

"The _Tipton _is now at a complete stop with respect to Pluto and Charon," announced the captain. "We will remain in this position for a period of two hours without the aid of thrusters or AG systems."

"It's incredible, isn't it?" admired Cody.

"Yeah," said Bailey, as she took Cody's hand. "It's almost like there's a moon for each of us."

Cody didn't quite fathom what Bailey intended by taking his hand. Nonetheless, he enjoyed the feeling of her hand in his, so he decided to relish the moment.

Maddie had finished her classes for the day and decided to spend a few minutes practicing on the flight simulator. Much to her chagrin, she found the simulator to be occupied. Curious as to who would be so rude as to ignore the schedule, she overrode the lock and entered. Inside lie a full-scale mock-up of the inside of a Tipton shuttle. Suddenly, alarms went off, and she braced herself to avoid being thrown about by the vectored AG systems that added to the realism of the simulator.

The alarms ceased, and artificial gravity returned to normal, indicating the mysterious pilot had failed. She entered the cockpit and found said pilot to be none other than Zack Martin.

"Hi Zack," greeted Maddie, startling him.

"Oh, Maddie," said Zack, panicking as he turned around. "I'm sorry. I know I'm not supposed to be here."

"No, it's fine," Maddie assured him. "Just be sure and make a reservation at the front desk next time."

"I'm not sure there'll be a next time," said Zack, dejectedly. "I suck at this."

"I'm sure you're not that bad," comforted Maddie as she looked through the simulation log. "There, you see: You just made a few rookie mistakes."

"And killed everyone aboard the shuttle, including me."

"Well, that's why we have a simulator," explained Maddie. "And if you'll let me, I'll be happy to coach you."

"That'd be awesome!" agreed Zack.

"Alright then, let's take it from the top."

With Maddie's help, Zack managed to move on to the next level after a few tries. The following level also took him a few tries to master. Somehow, his disappointment upon failure seemed quite minimal. He also didn't seem to mind Maddie correcting him. He suspected it had something to do with her taking his hands in hers and guiding them to the correct controls. By the time their session ended, he had successfully completed the first three levels.

"See, you're a natural," congratulated Maddie, her face dangerously close to Zack's.

"Yeah," he agreed as he moved closer to her. "I guess I just needed someone to show me all the right moves."

Their lips came within a few centimeters of one another before the announcement chime brought them back to reality.

"Your attention, please," said the PA announcer. "The _Tipton _will be entering hyperspace in ten minutes."

"I kind of wanted to see that," noted Maddie.

"Well, then," said Zack in his most suave voice, offering his arm to Maddie. "We'd best be going before all the good seats are taken."

Maddie took his arm, and the two of them proceeded to London and Bailey's suite. There, they joined the other invited guests, including Moseby, Tutweiler, Cody, and Bailey.

Directly ahead of the ship, a portal appeared, from which flowed cloud-like streams of blue and white energy. The ship thrust forward at maximum speed, and the portal engulfed them and sent them speeding through a tunnel of bright white and blue light. The guest applauded and blew their noisemakers to celebrate yet another historic moment in commercial flight.

**End of Chapter Six**

_What can I say? Sometimes sitting down and plunking it out is what one needs to do to get the creative juices flowing. Stay tuned!_


	7. Just Another Day in Hyperspace

**Above the Highest Seas**

**By**

**James Doyle**

Chapter Seven: Just Another Day in Hyperspace

Newt Livingston arrived at the entrance to the crew mess at 1900 hours, where London Tipton awaited him.

"Hey, you made it," greeted London.

"Yeah, I wouldn't miss it," replied Newt.

"Let's get some food, shall we?" suggested London, motioning toward the cafeteria line. "I'm starving."

Newt opted for some baked fish, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables. London piled an assortment of different foods on her tray.

"You're the last person I'd expect to eat in the crew mess," commented Newt as he and London took a seat by the window.

"Believe me, acquiring a taste for institutional cuisine is a survival skill when you live on a military base for six months," explained London. "So what brought you to the Galactic High program? I don't remember seeing your application."

"Yeah, we were a last-minute addition. President Martinez arranged for Cory to be in the program. I think it was because Miss Samuels wanted to get rid of him. Anyway, he said he'd only go if we could come with him. My parents were all for it, but Meena's dad took some convincing from the Bahavian IOA rep," replied Newt before changing the subject. "I looked for you during the hyperspace launch, but I couldn't find you."

"I was down in the lab. I've gotten a little behind on my work with all the commotion around here. Besides, it's not my first time in hyperspace."

"Yeah, I keep having to remind myself that you're a pioneer."

"I wouldn't exactly call myself a pioneer," argued London.

"Oh, you totally are," asserted Newt. "Thanks to you, the world's energy problems have been solved. Plus now we'll get to see what's out here. It's awesome."

"Yeah," agreed London. "I guess it is."

Newt smiled warmly at London. "And you're awesome."

London had become accustomed to hearing hollow compliments, but there was nothing hollow about this one. She could see the sincerity in his eyes, and hear it in his voice. She wasn't prepared to unpack the full implications of that.

"So, enough about me," said London. "What have you been up to?"

"Nothing much," said Newt. "Going to school, getting into trouble. Oh, me and my friends have this really awesome band called DC3."

"You mean the band that's playing at the ball in a couple of weeks?"

"Yep, that's us."

"I listened to your demos when I was helping my dad pick a band. You guys rock."

"Well, we try," Newt said modestly. "Meena's got an incredibly voice, and Cory's a maniac on the drums. I couldn't ask for better band mates."

"I wish I had talent," lamented London.

"What do you mean you don't have talent? You built a ZPM!"

"I mean musical talent," clarified London. "Believe me, you don't wanna hear me sing! I can make a freight train take a dirt road."

"I'm sure there's something you can play."

"Yeah, the harmonica. Big deal."

"That's really cool. I'd like to hear you play some time." Suddenly, lightening struck Newt's brain. "Hey, we're rehearsing tomorrow night after dinner. Why don't you come jam with us?"

London smiled. "I'd like that."

The following evening, Newt once again joined London for dinner. When they had finished, they proceeded to the music room in the educational wing, where Cory and Meena awaited them.

"You must be the famous London Tipton," greeted Cory, as he took her hand and kissed it. "Cory Baxter, at your service."

"Nice to meet you," said London, a bit turned off by the young man's cockiness.

"I'm Meena Paroom," greeted Meena, shaking London's hand.

"So, London," continued Cory. "Newt tells me you play a mean blues harp."

"I'm sure he's exaggerating," London replied modestly.

"Well, let's start off with something simple," suggested Cory, searching through Galactic High's immense sheet music database until he found something he thought would test London's skill. He then displayed it on the digital music stands.

"Think you can handle this one?" challenged Cory.

"I'll do my best," promised London.

Cory took a seat behind his drum kit and counted off beats. Newt started the song off by making an eerie sound with his guitar, then Cory started a slow, steady drumbeat, and London went to town on her harmonica. A few bars later, Newt came in on vocals:

_Let me run with you tonight  
__I'll take you on a moonlight ride  
__There's someone I used to see  
__But she don't give a damn for me_

Meena then came in with harmonies for the bridge and the chorus.

_But let me get, to the point  
__Let's roll, another joint  
__And turn the radio loud  
__I'm too alone to be proud_

_You don't know how it feels  
__You don't know how it feels_

_To be me…_

Throughout the song, London handled the harmonica solos admirably.

"Hey guys," suggested Newt. "What would you think if London played a set with us at the ball?"

"I'm down with that," agreed Cory.

"Me too," agreed Meena.

"But we're not changing our name to DC4," added Cory. "This is still our band, after all."

"Of course," agreed London.

A few days later, Colonel Mitchell caught with Daniel Jackson after his last lecture of the day.

"Hey Jackson, wait up!" called Mitchell.

"Oh, hello, Colonel," greeted Jackson as Mitchell caught up to him.

"We were supposed to get together for lunch yesterday."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was in meetings all day yesterday. Tutweiler is driving me nuts!"

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah, despite the fact we know more about how the human brain works than anyone else in the galaxy, she still insists spouting off pedagogical theories that are fifty years out of date."

"Yeah, I can see how that would be frustrating," sympathized Mitchell. "Still, you have to admit, she's kind of hot."

Daniel nodded. "I'll admit she's got potential. She'd look a lot nicer if she didn't wear so much makeup."

"Well, anyway, this whole high school teacher gig will be over before you know it," assured Mitchell.

"Actually, I don't mind that part so much. After being shot at day-in and day-out, breaking out of Goa'uld dungeons, being turned into a Prior, oh, and let's not forget dying so my times I lost count, this is a nice change of pace. It's nice to know that what we're doing out here is actually starting to benefit the next generation."

"Yeah, they're growing up in a different world than we did, Jackson," observed Mitchell. "Their kids will think of Stargate travel the way you and I think of getting on an airplane."

"You know, statistically, gate travel is safer than air travel."

"Yeah, I read the same reports you did, Jackson. People just need time to get used to the idea of being disassembled at the subatomic level and put back together halfway across the galaxy."

"Good luck with that. I'm still not used to it."

Down in the lab, Bailey and Cody busied themselves monitoring experiments for London and McKay.

"What are you working on?" asked Bailey.

"A new subspace transceiver," answered Cody. "If we can boost the efficiency and the range of the current systems, we'll have high-speed Internet anywhere in the galaxy. What are you working on?"

"I'm taking some readings to try and duplicate the Ancient invincibility shield," informed Bailey.

"Man, you get to work on all the cool experiments."

"That's because I have the ATA gene," explained Bailey. "Without the gene, most Ancient technology won't even give you a pulse."

"So if you and I got married, our kids would be able to operate Ancient technology," conjectured Cody, immediately scolding himself mentally for letting something so brazen slip.

Bailey giggled. "It's a little more complicated than that. But yeah, it's possible."

"You know I was just kidding, right?"

"About what?" asked Bailey with a faint air of disappointment in her voice.

"About you getting all the cool experiments," elaborated Cody. "I don't want to make this into a competition. We're on the same team here."

"I know. And I'm glad."

The two worked for a few more minutes in silence before Bailey spoke up again.

"Cody."

"Yes, Bailey?" answered Cody, not looking up from his experiment.

"I'm sorry."

Cody turned to face her. "Sorry for what?"

"For the way I acted after London disappeared."

Cody smiled. "There's no need to apologize. After all, you were right."

Bailey put her experiment down, walked over to Cody, and took him by the hand.

"I may have had my facts straight, but I was far from right. I care about London, and I was worried about her. But that was no reason to abandon you. I don't have any excuse, and all I can do is ask your forgiveness."

Cody sighed. "In that case, I owe you an apology as well."

"Whatever for?"

"London is my friend, too, and I should've been more concerned for her. I bought the cover story because it gave me the piece of mind to go about my mundane little life. As her friend, I should've demanded something more concrete than that. You were right to demand it. I should've supported you. We should've searched for the truth together."

"I forgive you, Cody."

"I forgive you, too, Bailey."

The two of them hugged, then parted only slightly, such that they were looking deeply into one another's eyes.

"Is there something else?" asked Cody.

"Yeah," confirmed Bailey. "There is. Cody, could you find it in your heart to give me another chance?"

"I can," said Cody. "And I will."

With that, the two friends renewed their previous relationship with a kiss.

**End of Chapter Seven**

* * *

_I was waiting for the premiere of _Stargate Universe _to see how it affected things before proceed with this story. Not only am I quite pleased with what I've seen so far, but I'm also glad that the show has branched off into what is essentially its own continuity, and I can safely ignore it for the purpose of this story._


	8. Let the Party Begin!

**Above the Highest Seas**

**By**

**James Doyle**

Chapter Eight: Let the Party Begin!

_P4M-227  
__1422 light-years from Earth_

"This is bad, this is bad, this is bad," chanted Cody as their shuttle spirited away from the _Tipton _toward the planet below.

"Cody, relax," comforted Bailey. "This is all perfectly normal."

"Just what part of landing on an alien planet with minimal security do you think is normal?" argued.

Colonel Mitchell glowered. "Minimal security? Kid, I've infiltrated and escaped Ori ships, fought alien invasions over Antarctica, and blown up Lucian Alliance transports. I don't think a few dozen known-friendly pre-industrial aliens will give me much trouble."

Ignoring Mitchell, Cody hit the intercom button.

"Yes, what is it Cody?" Maddie asked impatiently.

"Maddie, I'd feel a lot better if you were behind the stick."

"Cody, we've been over this already: This is a routine Stargate pickup. It's perfect for Zack's qualifying run."

"Don't worry, bro," added Zack. "You're in good hands."

A few minutes later, the shuttle breached the planet's atmosphere.

"We're gonna die!" exclaimed Cody as the craft's shields began to glow.

"Shut your hole, kid," ordered Mitchell. "Or I'll zat you."

Cody sat for the rest of the trip in silence. He had to admit, Bailey's arm around him and her head on his shoulder did seem to calm his nerves. His fear turned to wonder as they descended toward their destination in a valley surrounded by mountains of purple granite, coming to a landing in a clearing in a forest of skinny white trees with leaves that resembled cotton candy.

When the craft came gently to a stop, Colonel Mitchell and Secret Service Agent Lombardo exited the craft and took a look around, returning about five minutes later.

"Alright, people, listen up," instructed Mitchell. "Everyone stays between the Stargate and the shuttle, and within sight."

Cody, Bailey, and Zack followed Colonel Mitchell out of the shuttle, while Maddie and Agent Lombardo remained inside.

_Stargate Command  
__Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado_

Major General Hank Landry stood at the helipad with his trusted aide Chief Master Sergeant Walter Harriman, waiting to greet the guest arriving by Tipton helicopter. The chopper landed, and Carey Martin exited. Though she had been contracted to sing aboard the starship _Tipton_, she had volunteered to continue singing at the hotel until a replacement could be found.

"General Hank Landry, ma'am," greeted Landry, shaking Carey's hand. "Welcome to Stargate Command."

Landry, Harriman and a few other guards escorted Carey through the underground corridors of the SGC, dodging carts, forklifts, and other assorted obstacles as they walked.

"You'll have to excuse the mess," apologized Landry. "We're in the process of moving."

"Where to, if I may ask?" inquired Carey.

"To the new Janet Frasier Interstellar Gateport, a combined civilian and military facility on Luna," elaborated Landry.

A few minutes later, Landry showed Carey into the gate room, leaving her in the care of a team of five agents in wearing a variation of the distinctive royal blue uniform of the Transportation Security Administration, which in their case included body armor and P-90 rifles.

"I'm Agent Fred Avadesian, team leader of TSA-1," greeted one of the agents as he shook Carey's hand. "This your first gate trip, ma'am?"

"Yes, actually," answered Carey.

"Well, not to worry ma'am. There's really nothing to it, and you're in good hands."

Carey jumped back slightly as the inner ring of the Stargate began rotating.

"Chevron one encoded," announced Harriman, just before one of the chevrons briefly clamped on down on the rotating ring and lit up. "Chevron one locked."

This repeated six more times until an unstable vortex of bright shimmering light came out of the gate before settling into a puddle inside the gate.

"Receiving transmission from _Tipton _shuttle number 11, sir," reported Harriman.

"Patch it through," ordered Landry.

"Stargate Command, this is Special Agent Lombardo, United States Secret Service. Receiving gate is secure and ready."

"Thank you, Agent Lombardo," replied Landry. "TSA-1, you are cleared for transit."

"Thank you, sir," replied Agent Avadesian, "TSA-1, move out!"

The team proceed up the ramp, with two agents ahead, two behind, and one at Carey's side. She watched as the two agents in front of her disappeared through the event horizon, then gulped and took a deep breath as she approached.

"Are you ready, ma'am?" asked the agent escorting her.

"As I'll ever be."

The agent nodded as he took her by arm and walked her through the event horizon. Once through, Carey found herself speeding along a circuitous course through the cosmos in a purple luminescent tunnel. The trip ended with a bright flash of light, after which she found herself in the distinctly alien environment of P4M-227.

Carey barely had time to take in her surroundings before being ambushed in a hug with her two boys. A hug from Bailey followed.

"If you don't mind, let's save the reunion for the ride back," urged Mitchell. "_Tipton _needs to leave orbit in three hours."

Carey entered the shuttle and greeted Maddie with a hug.

"Great to see you again, Carey," greeted Maddie.

"You too, Maddie. I'd heard you were piloting shuttles."

"That I am. But guess who flew us down here," said Maddie, gesturing toward Zack.

"Is that a fact?" said Carey, tussling her son's hair, causing him to retreat into the cockpit from embarrassment.

As the shuttle lifted off, TSA-1 dialed the Stargate and headed back to earth. En route back to the _Tipton_, it occurred to Carey that she hadn't been formally introduced to the hunk of beefcake sitting next to her.

"Carey Martin," she introduced herself, shaking Colonel Mitchell's hand.

Mitchell smiled. "Colonel Cameron Mitchell, United States Air Force."

"So what's a high-ranking officer like you doing babysitting a bunch of high school kids?"

"Well, ma'am, when you're an interstellar explorer like me, you find yourself performing all kinds of odd jobs. The variety's one of the perks, if you ask me."

"Sounds incredibly exciting."

"Believe me, it is. Sometimes dangerous, stressful, and downright terrifying, but never dull."

Shortly before docking, Carey looked out the window to see a full view of the _Tipton_ orbiting above the purple planet below.

"So this is what you guys have been up to for the past two weeks," noted Carey.

Upon returning to the _Tipton_, Carey barely had time to settle into her suite before having to meet up with Moseby, already busy making preparations for the ball.

"Carey, thank goodness you're here!" greeted Moseby. "These cretins I hired have the sound system in a shambles!"

Carey nodded. "I'm on it," she said as she headed over to the stage.

Moseby took a quick look around and spotted Patrick seriously contemplating his tablet PC.

"Patrick," yelled Moseby. "Why aren't you chop-chopping?"

"Sorry, Mr. Moseby," replied Patrick, hurriedly tapping in a few more commands. "I was making some last minute changes to the menu. Quite a few of the passengers objected to that Abydonian dish we were serving. Apparently, they didn't buy my explanation that it tastes like chicken."

"Very well," said Moseby. "Carry on."

"Mr. Moseby," called Arwin as he ran after Moseby.

"Yes, Arwin, what is it?" Moseby asked impatiently as he turned to face him.

"I'm detecting some faults in the ship's computer, particularly in navigation and life support."

"How long will it take to fix it?" demanded Moseby.

"About eight hours."

"I can't spare you for that long. Is there anything you can do in the meantime?"

"We could reroute through the school library computer," recommended Arwin. "It's got enough power."

"Fine, do that," ordered Moseby. "But this computer problem is your top priority once the ball is over. And besides myself and the senior officers, no one is to know of this."

"Yes, sir," replied Arwin, who then went off to make the necessary adjustments.

Meanwhile, London and Bailey helped one another with their hair and makeup as they dressed for the ball.

"You look beautiful," complimented London.

"Thanks, you too," replied Bailey. "You know, I do believe that's the first time you've ever said that to me."

"Yeah," sighed London. "Truth is, you always looked beautiful. Nobody can make off-the-rack outfit work like you can."

"Yeah, but I never looked as glamorous as you."

"Oh, BS! I always hated the fact that all my money couldn't make me look better than you."

"Really?"

"Well, there is one more thing I could do, but I'm not getting a boob-job. There's a lot I'll put myself through for beauty, but I draw the line at going under the knife."

"So I have boobs," granted Bailey. "I'll never have your hair, your eyes, or your skin tone."

"Let's be agreed then," suggested London. "We're both gorgeous."

Bailey grinned. "I can live with that."

No sooner had they finished dolling themselves up that the door chime rang. Bailey answered the door to find Newt and Cody, both bearing flowers and dressed to kill in their tuxedos.

"Wow, Cody, you look hot tonight," complimented Bailey as she smiled seductively.

"You're not looking too shabby yourself," replied Cody, channeling a bit of his brother's mojo.

No sooner had Bailey shown them in that London emerged from the dressing room, looking like a goddess. Newt's jaw promptly hit the floor.

"See something you like?" asked London.

"Wow," gasped Newt. "You look amazing."

"Thanks," she said. "You clean up pretty nice, too."

"Well ladies," interjected Cody. "Shall we."

The ladies took the arms of their respective dates and headed toward the lifts. They arrived in the ballroom a few minutes later, where a host showed them to their assigned table, just across the dance floor from the stage. When they arrived at their table, they found Cory and Meena already seated. Zack and Maddie joined them a short time later.

Shortly after they took their seats, applause rose as Colonel Mitchell ascended the stage, looking sharp in his Air Force mess kit.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my privilege to welcome you to the inaugural _CSV Tipton _Hyperspace Ball. I'm Colonel Cameron Mitchell, and I'll be your Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Dinner will be served in a few minutes, but before that, we have a special announcement. Please welcome to podium, the Executive Director of Tipton Industries Research and Development, Miss London Tipton."

London ascended the stage to polite applause, and received a kiss on the cheek from Colonel Mitchell before taking the podium.

"Thank you, Colonel Mitchell," began London. "Ladies and gentlemen, I bring greetings on behalf of my father, Wilfred Tipton, whose busy schedule prohibited him from being here this evening. He's also asked me to announce on his behalf that at the end of the 2010 fiscal year, he will be retiring as President and CEO of Tipton Industries."

London paused for a moment until the gasps died down.

"Therefore, it is my honor to formally announce his successor. Ladies and gentleman, allow me to present to you this evening, the new President and CEO of Tipton Industries, Mr. Marion Moseby."

Moseby, pleasantly surprised by the announcement, leapt for joy from his seat, and ascended the stage to the sound of thunderous applause. He received a hug from London as he took the podium.

"Thank you, London," said Moseby, barely choking back tears. "This of course comes as a complete surprise to me, so I'm afraid I haven't prepared any remarks. Nonetheless, I'd like to say a few words.

"For almost twenty years, it has been my privilege to serve the Tipton family, their guests, and their employees. As I accept the distinct honor of succeeded Mr. Tipton, I would promise all of you, both guests and employees, that I will endeavor to meet, and if possible, exceed, the quality of care and service you have come to expect from Tipton Industries. Thank you all, and God bless."

Moseby received a hearty handshake from Colonel Mitchell as he left the podium.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, after an announcement like that, I'm sure you'd all like the opportunity to celebrate with Mr. Moseby. I'll ask Father O'Shaunessy to offer a blessing, and dinner will be served."

Father Kevin O'Shaunessy, a friend of the Tipton family who'd been London's headmaster during her brief stint at Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrows High School, blessed the food, and dinner was served.

"Well, that was totally random," commented Zack.

"Not really," explained London. "Dad's sixty-seven, so he realized awhile ago that he's not going to be around forever. Once we figured out that leading the company wasn't my calling, it seemed pretty clear to us who the right man for the job was."

"I can't argue with that," added Maddie. "Moseby's always been hard on us, but no one could ever accuse him of being unfair."

After dinner, Mitchell took the podium once again to announce the first act of the evening's entertainment.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen," announced Mitchell. "From Our Nation's Capital, put your hands together, for DC3!"

London's time would come during the second set. For now, she joined the crowd in cheer and hollering as DC3 took the stage. She particularly kept her eyes on Newt as he set aside his jacket, unfastened his bowtie, and strapped on his guitar.

"People of the Milky Way Galaxy," shouted Meena. "Are you ready to rock?"

"Yeah!" responded the crowd.

"I said, 'Are you ready to rock?'"

"Yeah!" responded the crowd, much more fervently.

"Guitar…" she said, which prompted Newt start his riffs.

"Drums…" she said, which started Cory into laying down his beats.

A few bars later, Meena started singing, with Newt coming in on harmonies where appropriate:

_White lights, strange city, mad music  
__All around  
__Midnight, street magic, crazy people  
__Crazy sound_

_Jack Flash, Rocket Man  
__Sgt. Pepper, and the Band  
__Ziggy, Benny and the Jets  
__Ah, take a rocket  
__We just got to fly_

_I can take you through the center of the dark  
__Were gonna fly  
__On a collision course to crash into my heart  
__I will be your, I will be your, _

_I'll be your_

_Rocket, yeah  
__Satellite of love  
__Rocket, yeah  
__Satellite of love  
__Rocket, yeah  
__Satellite of love  
_

_Rocket, baby!  
__C'mon_

_I'll be your satellite of love_

"And now," said Newt, just before closing out the set. "I've got a special song for a special girl."

He then started in on some wicked guitar riffs before taking the mike:

_I never knew girls existed like you  
__But now that I do  
__I'd really like to get to know you  
_

_The girl's too young  
__She don't need any better  
__It's all coming back  
__I can feel it  
__The girl's too young  
__She don't know any better  
__It's all coming back  
__I can feel it _

_She is beautiful  
__She is beautiful  
__She is beautiful  
__She is beautiful _

_The girl is beautiful_

London couldn't help but be flattered by Newt's expression of his admiration for her in punk rock fashion. She was so flattered, in fact, that she almost missed her cue.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen," announced Meena. "Please welcome our special guest. On harmonica, Miss London Tipton!"

Though certainly no virtuoso, London still managed to impress the audience with her harmonica skills, ending a three-song set with a cover of Tom Cochrane's "Life is a Highway."

Afterwards, Carey Martin took the stage and serenaded the guests as they slow danced.

"That was really cool of you to play that song for me," commented London as she danced with Newt.

"Well, it's true," replied Newt. "You really are beautiful. Up until a few weeks ago, I never realized it."

"Please," argued London. "There are pictures of me in every celebrity rag known to man."

"They don't compare to real thing," continued Newt. "Not by a long-shot."

"Newt, you're a wonderful guy," confessed London. "I just want you to be sure you really like me, and that you're not just star-struck."

"I went to Washington Prep for two years," countered Newt. "I went to school with the daughters of high-ranking officials from all over the world. They don't impress me. London, I realized how special you were five years ago in D.C. When you went back to Boston, I was afraid I'd never see you again. And now here we, halfway across the galaxy, together again. I wish this moment would never end."

Being a person of such ludicrously-high socio-economic standing, London had become accustomed to calling the shots in a relationship. Now, the son of the Junior Senator from Ohio was taking the lead, and she wouldn't have it any other way. She trembled as he took her face in his hands, leaned in, and kissed her. Soon, the kiss became too passionate for such a public venue.

"Do you want to get out of here?" offered Newt.

"Definitely," gasped London, still breathless from their kiss.

With that, they made as discrete an exit from the ballroom as they could manage.

**End of Chapter Eight**

* * *

_Sorry I waited this long in the story for a Stargate sequence. Stay tuned; things are about to get complicated. _

Song credits (including one from last chapter):

"You Don't Know How it Feels"  
Written by Tom Petty  
Originally performed by Tom Petty  
From the album _Wildflowers _(1994)

"Rocket"  
Written by S. Clark, P. Collen, J. Elliott, R. Lange, R. Savage  
Originally performed by Def Leppard  
From the album _Hysteria _(1987)

"Life is a Highway"  
Written by Tom Cochrane  
Originally performed by Tom Cochrane  
From the album _Mad Mad World _(1992)

"She Is Beautiful"  
Written by Andrew W.K.  
Originally performed by Andrew W.K.  
From the album _I Get Wet _(2001)


	9. Tipton, We Have A Problem

_A/N: Now that I have some idea how to execute what I wanted to do, I should wrap this story up within the next few chapters._

**Above the Highest Seas**

**By**

**James Doyle**

Chapter Nine: Tipton, We Have A Problem

Cody and Bailey made their way to the lab, where they found Rodney McKay working.

"Where's London?" asked Rodney.

"No idea," admitted Cody. "She disappeared right after she finished playing with the band. I thought maybe she was with you."

"Don't be silly, Cody," teased Bailey. "Knowing London, she probably snuck off to make out with that Livingston boy."

"Ugh," reviled Rodney. "I don't know what she sees in him. She could do so much better."

"Well, it all depends on what you're looking for in a partner," noted Bailey.

"True," conceded Rodney.

Meanwhile, Maddie made Zack keep his eyes closed as she led him by the hand.

"Come on, Maddie," pleaded Zack. "Tell me where we're going."

"Don't be a spoil-sport," chided Maddie. "It's a surprise."

Zack could tell just from the sound and the air currents that Maddie had led him through a small door.

"Alright," said Maddie. "Open your eyes."

Zack found himself inside a Tipton shuttle, only this one was different. The passenger compartment was separated into two rooms. The room they stood in was a sitting room, with a number of first class-style airline seats, a combination galley and bar, and a large computer screen that doubled as a telephone.

"This is pretty swank," observed Zack.

"It's the executive shuttle," informed Maddie. "In addition to the amenities you see here, it has..."

Maddie produced a small remote control from her pocket, which she used to seal the door and opaque the windows.

"Do Not Disturb mode," finished Maddie with an evil grin, before moving over to the bar. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Vodka Martini; shaken, not stirred," said Zack in his Sean Connery voice.

Maddie laughed."You're funny. I always liked that about you."

"How about a brandy, Sweet Thang?" requested Zack.

"Sounds good. I think I'll have one myself," announced Maddie. "By the way, I miss you calling me that."

"Would you like to hear it more often?" asked Zack.

Maddie smiled as she sat down next to Zack. "Absolutely."

Zack raised his glass. "To the maiden voyage of the _CSV Tipton _The best ride of my life so far."

Maddie grinned at the innuendo, and clinked her glass with Zack's. Zack took a swig of his brandy, then coughed in reaction.

"Oh, baby," exclaimed Maddie. "Are you okay?"

"I am now," croaked Zack as he felt Maddie's hand on his chest.

_What the heck am I waiting for, _thought Zack to himself. _It doesn't take the brains of Rodney McKay to figure out why she brought me down here._

Zack traced Maddie's jawline with his finger. As her breathing became erratic, and he saw the same sense of longing in her brown eyes that he knew his blue eyes displayed, he knew the time was right. Zack drew Maddie into his arms, and crashed his lips into hers. Without hesitation, she opened her mouth for him, granting him leave to explore.

It was a moment that Maddie had known would come. At times she dreaded it, but at others, and especially of late, she longed for it. Five years and billions of kilometers from where they had started, she had finally dropped her force-shields and allowed Zack Martin into the secure area of her heart.

"I love you," said Zack as his forehead rested on hers.

"I love you, too," confessed Maddie. It felt so liberating to let it out.

With that, Zack dove in for another kiss.

"I haven't shown you the other room yet," panted Maddie as she came up for air.

"I know what's in there," replied Zack, tossing Maddie in the air as he stood up, then dancing her into the sleeper compartment of the shuttle.

London led Newt down to far end of the school wing, and into what appeared to be an airlock.

"Are we going for a space-walk?" asked Newt.

"You'll say," replied London. The outside hatch closed behind them, and the inside hatch opened. They stepped through the hatch into the largest greenhouse Newt had ever seen.

"This is awesome!" exclaimed Newt, without the sense of hyperbole that usually accompanied his use of the word.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" remarked London. "It's part of the oxygen reclamation system, so it was one of the first parts of the ship to be built. It has plant species from all over the galaxy. I used come here all the time when the ship was under construction. Sometimes all that science stuff still confuses me. It helped me clear my head."

London led Newt by the hand, and they ran together to a grass knoll adjacent to a pond, where they dove to the ground and rolled around a bit before sharing a deep and passionate kiss.

"Oh snap," cried London as she reached into her purse. "I almost forgot."

She sent a text message using her subspace phone, and Newt could hear the hatch seal.

"There," said London. "This section is now in full maintenance mode. The only other people who can open that door are Moseby, Arwin, and the Captain, all of whom are indisposed at the moment."

"Sweet," whispered Newt before attacking London's lips once again.

Meanwhile, most of the other guests were still at the ball, most of them too inebriated to stumble back to their cabins. These included Colonel Mitchell and Carey Martin.

"Let me tell you something, Carey Martin," slurred Mitchell. "You have got yourself a sweet set of...pipes. I'm serious. Sarah Brightman's got nothing on you, lady."

"Oh yeah?" replied Carey. "Well, let me tell you something: Never, ever, in my forty years, have I encountered any other man, whose ass looks as good as yours in a pair of Air Force dress pants."

"You like my ass?"

"Yes I do."

"That's funny. Most women compliment me on my blue eyes."

"Well, Cameron....you're lucky you've got such a sweet ass. Because right now, your eyes are looking a little bloodshot."

Mitchell scooted a little closer. "But I still have a nice ass, right?"

"Yes, you do."

Mitchell put an arm around Carey. "Would you like to get a closer look at it?"

"Colonel, are you coming on to me?"

"Of course not," lied Mitchell. "I'm an Officer and a Gentleman."

"Uh huh. I believe that like I believed Zack when he stole Cody's lunch money and then told me he'd sold his baby teeth on eBay."

Just then, an alarm that sounded like a combination between a honking goose and a semi-truck horn blared loudly, accompanied by the slamming of the blast doors.

"Mary and Joseph," cursed Mitchell. "What is that godawful racket?"

"It's the decompression alarm," interjected Moseby, awakened from his drunken stupor. "Where's Arwin?"

"Right here, sir," answered Arwin, not missing a beat.

"Arwin, are we leaking atmosphere or not?"

Arwin removed a probe from his pocket and took some readings.

"We're not venting atmosphere," reported Arwin. "But CO2 levels are a little high...and rising rapidly."

Arwin, who was stone-cold sober, observed that he wasn't the only one feeling short of breath and light headed.

"Mr. Moseby," gasped Arwin. "Those computer faults...were no...accident...we've been...sabotaged."

"Son of a bitch," Mitchell trailed off as his knees buckled, causing him to do a face-plant on the table in front of him.

Cody, Bailey, and Rodney sat around a lab table in the clean-room section, playing cards.

"Two aces," declared Rodney as he tossed his cards down.

"Three deuces," declared Cody as he did likewise.

"Bullshit!" accused Bailey. Cody groaned as he picked up the discard pile.

"You, sir, have the worst poker face I have ever seen," taunted Rodney.

"Two treys and I'm out," declared Bailey as she laid down her last two cards face up.

"So you were poised to win and you still made me pick up cards," observed Cody. "Why?"

Bailey snickered. "To see you squirm. You're so cute when you squirm."

Cody smiled. "And you're so cute when you're being sadistic."

"Another game?" offered Bailey.

"No, thank you," declined Rodney. "I've been taken for enough money for one evening."

"Me too," added Cody. "So what are we doing in here again?"

"The clean room has its own environmental controls," explained Rodney. "We should be safe in here until they fix whatever snafu caused the decompression alarm."

"If it's a snafu," argued Cody. "What if we've got an actual hull breach on his hands?"

"Does he always worry this much?" asked Rodney.

Bailey rolled her eyes. "Only on days ending with Y."

"Don't worry, " assured Rodney. "I used to be like him. He'll grow out of it."

"I still think we should check to see if there's an actual problem," urged Cody.

"Fine, I'll check the atmospheric sensors," capitulated Rodney as he walked over to computer terminal and brought up the appropriate readouts. "There, you see? All normal."

"Maybe there's something wrong with the atmospheric sensors," conjectured Cody.

Rodney growled. "You're impossible."

Rodney took a probe, set it inside the airlock, closed the inside door, and opened the outside door. Once he'd been satisfied that the machine had had sufficient time to take a good whiff, he opened the airlock and examined the readout.

"This can't be right," pondered Rodney. "Atmospheric pressure is normal, but CO2 levels are dangerously high."

"Which means everybody else on this ship is either dead or unconscious," observed Bailey. "It's up to us to help them."

Rodney reached into the cabinet inside the airlock and produced a set of respirators. The three of them donned their masks and proceeded out of the lab.

Meanwhile, London and Newt continued to make out in the greenhouse. London stopped him as he started to unzip her dress.

"Wait," said London.

"I'm sorry," apologized Newt. "I'll stop."

"No, it's fine," assured London. "I just wanted to make sure you have something."

"What kind of something?" asked Newt.

London giggled. "A male contraceptive device."

Newt facepalmed. "I do, but I left them in my cabin."

London rifled through her purse. "Crap, I don't have any either. I guess we'll have to do this some other time."

Newt smiled when he heard the disappointment in her voice. "It's cool. There's no rush."

"Guess maybe we should turn in for the night," said London as she dialed her phone. "Bailey's probably wondering where I am."

London became visibly frustrated as she repeatedly entered the code.

"What's wrong?" asked Newt.

"The system won't accept my access codes," grunted London. "And now it's locked me out!"

"Does that mean we're stuck here?"

London nodded. "Something is very wrong."

Suddenly, the airlock opened, and London could see the business of a staff weapon coming through the hatch.

"Shit!" exclaimed London, grabbing Newt by the collar and dragging him along as quietly as possible. "Hide!"

Meanwhile, the three scientists had made a similar discovered, and hid as best they could in a solid linens chute.

"Those are Jaffa," whispered Cody.

"Ya think?" retorted Rodney.

Back in the ballroom, Arwin's snoring awaken Moseby, to whom he'd been tied back-to-back. He looked straight ahead, where Colonel Mitchell and Carey Martin had been tied together.

"Carey," Moseby called out, before calling a little louder. "Carey."

"Huh, what?" said Carey as she awakened with a start. "Ugh, my head hurts!"

"Focus, Carey," commanded Moseby. "We've been taken hostage."

"Yeah," she mumbled. "And just what do you want me to do about it?"

"Start thinking," suggested Moseby. "We can get out of this, but we'll have work together."

Suddenly, the blast door opened, and squad of Jaffa marched past, escorting someone Moseby couldn't see from the floor.

"Rise and shine, everyone," came Patrick's voice over the ballroom's PA system. "I am now in command of this vessel, and you, as the cliché goes, are my prisoners."

**End of Chapter Nine**

_Definitely stay tuned!_


	10. The Tipton Ultimatum

**Above the Highest Seas**

**By**

**James Doyle**

Chapter Ten: The Tipton Ultimatum

Captain Harmon Rabb had been quite thrilled when General O'Neill had selected him to take command of the _USS Odyssey, _which, it had been decided, would be restaffed with U.S. Navy personnel. Having pursued a dual-career as both a Judge Advocate and a fighter pilot, he was always eager to take on a new challenge. However, the current crisis made him wonder whether O'Neill had made a mistake.

"Subspace channel open to Tipton One Station, sir," reported the comm officer.

"Patch it through to my station," ordered Rabb.

"Aye, sir."

"This is General O'Neill," greeted the familiar face on the screen. "Tell me you have good news, Captain."

"Sorry, sir, but I can't oblige," apologized Rabb. "The _Tipton _has disappeared, sir."

"What exactly do you mean by 'disappeared,' Captain?"

"Sir, _Tipton _was a no-show at her last check-in point. We've not been able to raise her on subspace or track her locator beacon. It's possible she's simply disabled, sir, but I suspect foul-play."

"So do I," agreed O'Neill. "I'm dispatching the _Apollo _and the _Hammond _to help with the search. In the meantime, I want a survey of all gate-worlds within range of _Tipton's _last known whereabouts between now and then. Colonel Ellis will be able to provide you with intel on all known hostiles in the area."

"Yes, sir. We're on it."

"Don't screw this up," admonished O'Neill. "Tipton One, out."

Meanwhile, back aboard the _Tipton_, London and Newt emerged from their hiding place among the marsh grasses in the greenhouse.

"Normally I'd find that incredibly gross," commented London. "But it's better than the alternative."

"Yeah, agreed," said Newt as London opened her purse. "You have a waterproof purse?"

London nodded. "After the whole castaway incident, I wanted to make sure I was prepared for anything."

London produced a small device from her purse, which expanded into a pistol-like device shaped like a serpent.

"What's that?" asked Newt.

"It's a zat," answered London. "Small Goa'uld weapon designed for close quarters combat. One shot stuns; two shots kill. Remember that."

"Okay, why?"

"Because if I'm dead, you'll have to fight your way out of here."

Newt gulped. "One shot stuns; two shots kill. Right, got it."

London rustled through a bush next to the pond. "It's gotta be here somewhere. Ah, here it is."

London opened a small control box under the bush and manipulated a few buttons, causing all the water to drain out of the pond. She then removed the grate from the drainage hole at the bottom.

"It'll be tight," observed London. "But I think we can make it."

"Just where exactly does this go?" asked Newt as he and London shimmied down the pipe.

"Where do you think?"

"The bilge tanks?" asked Newt in disbelief.

"Believe me, I'm not thrilled about it, either," agreed London. "But I'm not taking my chances with those Jaffa until I have a better idea of what we're dealing with."

When they reached the bottom, Newt stood about neck-deep in bilge, and he caught London just as she was about to submerge. London gagged, resisting the urge to vomit.

"Definitely not my best idea. Let's get moving before we get sucked into the waste processor."

"Yeah, I think I see an exit," observed Newt, pointing to a light shining down near the other end of the tank.

"That's the kiddy pool," informed London. "That section wasn't finished in time for launch, so it should be clear. Good work, Newt."

In the ballroom, one of the Jaffa reported to Patrick.

"Sir, we've ejected all of the shuttles, as you requested. They should burn up on reentry within the hour."

"And the lifeboats?" asked Patrick.

"They're on a separate system, sir. We're working on it."

"Keep working on it. Have you found London or McKay?"

"No, sir. The encryption protocols on the shipboard subspace phone system make it nearly impossible to track them."

"Do whatever you have to do, but find them! In the meantime, I think I'll be putting in a call to Miss Tipton."

In the executive shuttle, Zack awoke, and awakened his beloved with a kiss.

"Mmm, morning," cooed Maddie.

"You know, Moseby's gonna be pissed we stayed here all night," Zack whispered mischievously.

Maddie giggled. "Let him bitch. He's not the only one allowed to have the night of his life."

Just then, the sound of an alarm bell brought Maddie to full attention. She quickly donned her skirt and camisole, and ran into the cockpit to investigate.

"What the hell was that?" asked Zack, still pulling up his pants as he followed Maddie into the cockpit.

"Re-entry alarm," informed Maddie. "We've disengaged from the ship. We'll burn up in five minutes if we don't do something." Maddie manipulated a number of controls. "AG subsystems are fried."

"Sublights and maneuvering thrusters are offline as well," added Zack."Looks like they screwed us good."

"Not quite," countered Maddie. "The idiots left the naquidah core intact."

"What good's that gonna do us now?"

"Well, the executive shuttle does have one undocumented feature," explained Maddie as she manipulated a few more controls, then yanked the survival kit out of the wall and strapped it to her back. She then took hold of Zack for dear life, and with a flash of and a thump-foom, the two of them Asgard-beamed out of the craft just before it burned up on reentry.

Newt and London found a janitor's closet where they were able to hose off and don some relatively-clean maintenance coveralls. No sooner had they finished cleaning up when London's phone vibrated.

"Aren't you gonna answer that?" asked Newt. "It could be someone calling for help."

"More likely, the bad guy trying to figure out if we're still alive."

"Oh, London," said the voice of Patrick, who'd managed to activate the speakerphone. Realizing that the sound coming from her phone could give away their position, London answered the phone, carefully muffling the microphone as she hit mute.

"Your phone is still working, so I'll assume you're alive and listening," continued Patrick. "For the sake of this ship's crew and passengers, you'd better be. London, you've done something that I consider quite unacceptable. What is that, you ask? Why, you've done nothing less than upset the balance of power in this galaxy. Your work has paved the way for Tau'ri supremacy.

"Those of us who have lived under the yoke of false gods cannot abide this. We are hardly naive enough to believe for an instant that those who brought the scourge of the Ori upon us, and created a power vacuum into which flowed scoundrels like the Lucian Alliance would serve us well as the primary force in this galaxy.

"But fear not, London. You have it within your power to make things right. Surrender to my forces, and show me how to build a zero point module. Once this is done, you will no longer pose any threat to me, and you and the rest of this ship's complement will be released unharmed. However, I'm afraid I cannot take no for an answer. One way or another, we will find you or Dr. McKay and extract the information from you. Until we do, we will kill one hostage every two hours. If you're not watching the video feed, I would advise you to do so now."

London watched in horror as a Jaffa hauled First Lady Elizabeth Martinez on stage, with her daughter pleading for her life in the background. The Jaffa strapped her to a chair. Once he moved out of the way, a Jaffa just out of frame blasted the First Lady in the chest with his staff weapon, killing her instantly.

Patrick moved back into frame. "Two hours, London."

With that, the call ended.

:"Newt, I know what I have to do," said London, flatly and somberly. "I'm going to turn myself in and give Patrick what he wants."

"London, you can't," protested Newt.

"I don't have a choice, Newt! I'm not gambling with people's lives just to save my own ass. This ends now."

"London, listen to me," argued Newt, putting his arms on her shoulders. "That guy is a psycho. This won't end if you give him what he wants. He'll kill all of us, and then he'll use the ZPM technology to hurt even more people. You created this; you have a responsibility to make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

London nodded. "You're right. So I guess there's only one thing left to do."

"And what's that?"

"Take this son of a bitch down!" growled London.

Newt donned his most badass grin. "That's what I'm talking about!"

Zack and Maddie hiked down from the glacier on top of which they'd landed, keeping warm using the thermal blankets from the survival kit. They relished the warm sunshine upon their faces as ice gave way to rock. They soon spotted a large canyon, which Zack used the binoculars to scout out.

"Not much to see here," reported Zack. "More rocks. A few small streams; at least water won't be a problem. Whoa, mama!"

"What is it?" asked Maddie.

"That's a Goa'uld cargo ship, and a whole gaggle of Jaffa."

"What are they doing?"

"Picking at rocks."

"That's not a good sign," noted Maddie. "They're probably mining raw naquidah, and the only thing that's good for is giving a bomb a bigger boom."

"I think we can take 'em," encouraged Zack. Maddie took a look through the binoculars.

"Not a good idea," she argued. "There's too many of them. We might able to fight our way in and use the ring transporter to get back to the ship."

"And do what?"

"I dunno; I'm kind of making this up as I go along."

Moseby scowled at Patrick as he walked around the ballroom.

"What are you looking at?" demanded Patrick.

"You're a murderous, demonic, subhuman piece of feces, and I'm going to see to it that you spend the rest of your miserable existence alone in a cold, dark room, with only your sickness to keep you company. Death would be far too humane a fate for the likes of you."

"The likes of me," parroted Patrick, straddling a chair backwards as he sat. "What, in your estimation, constitutes 'the likes of me?'"

"You're either a Goa'uld or a Tok'ra," supplied Mitchell. "I haven't figured out which. Either way, you've managed to finagle the loyalty of a few Jaffa."

"Goa'uld? Tok'ra? Colonel, you amuse me. I am neither Goa'uld nor Tok'ra, because neither represent my interests, These Jaffa are the same way."

"And what 'interests' would those be?" asked Moseby.

"Why, the only kind of interest worth pursuing: Enlightened self-interest. Jaffa need larvae to survive. My kind need Jaffa to procreate. It is a symbiotic relationship, not a parasitic relationship such as that under which their ancestors languished. And certainly not like the kind you Tau'ri wish to impose as you use the peoples of the galaxy to build your power base."

"You're a lying, hypocritical son of a bitch, Patrick," accused Carey. "Did any of us ask to be pawns in your little power-play? I don't think so."

"Didn't you? You supported your leaders as they sent their hordes out into the galaxy. And now you're out here dancing and wining and dining, reaping the benefits of their conquest. You slept soundly at night as their gunship flew alongside to protect you, which, by the way, I brilliantly evaded by feeding false data to the navigation sensors. I don't blame the people of earth. I know they've been kept in the dark. But now that you're here, you can no longer plead ignorance. You are all accomplices.

"But this complex provided the means to its own undoing. I started out with Tipton Industries as a lowly waiter, working my way up the corporate ladder, trying to find a way into the upper echelons of the organization. And yet, that proved completely unnecessary. Because now you've handed me all the key components on a silver platter!"

"Ugh," reviled Moseby. "Sometimes I think villains keep hostages alive just to have someone to listen to their sociopathic ramblings."

Patrick gestured at a Jaffa, who swatted Moseby in the abdomen with the butt of his staff weapon.

"That was uncalled-for," groaned Moseby.

London and Newt quietly made their way out of the closed section and into the corridor. They spied a Jaffa on approach, whom London zatted, taking his staff weapon and blowing open a nearby security locker. She then used herself and Newt zat rifles.

"Staff weapons are a little unwieldy," explained London. "These are much more practical."

London took the Jaffa's key-fob, which she used to open the adjacent blast door, when the door opened, she and Newt reacted quickly to the persons on the other side, only to find themselves pointing zat riles at Bailey, Cody, and Rodney, and vice-versa.

"Where the hell have you been?" asked Rodney.

"Believe me, you don't want to know," answered London. She gestured for them to follow, and she led them to a more secure location, viz: the ladies' shower room.

"Are you sure they won't find us in here?" asked Cody.

London nodded. "We'll be safe for now. The security cameras in this section are all falsies. It's company policy for pool areas ever since we caught the guard at the Denver Tipton peeping."

"So, to the matter at hand," began Rodney. "What exactly are we dealing with here?"

"We're dealing with an unknown number of Jaffa, under the command of our demented maitre d', Patrick. Apparently, he thinks he has a right to ZPM technology, and he's will to sacrifice anything and anyone to get it."

"Any leader is only as strong as his support base," explained Bailey. "If we can get rid of the Jaffa, Patrick won't be a problem."

"Right," added Cody. "Since there aren't enough of use to fight them off, we'll have to make them want to get off the ship."

"Oh, that's easy," remarked London. "Just set two of the naquidah reactors to overload, and bypass the plasma relays."

"Right!" approved Rodney. "Not only will it destroy the ship, it'll set off a feedback pulse that'll destabilize any naquidah within a thousand klicks and render their hyperdrives inoperable for at least a day. It only works on old Goa'uld-designed engines, but I'm willing to bet that's what these guys are using."

"Destroy the ship?" objected Bailey. "In case you forgot, there are three thousand people aboard."

"They'll be able to escape using the lifeboats," explained London. "The boats won't discharge until they have a least five people in the pattern buffer. There can't be more than a few hundred Jaffa. Once the reactors go into overload, the blast doors will open automatically. They'll be overwhelmed by all the panicked people wanting to get off the ship."

"Sounds like as good a plan as any," agreed Cody.

"Alright," concluded London. "Rodney, you and Cody and Bailey set up reactors one and two and the hyperdrive. Newt and I will set up reactor four."

"Got it, moving out," replied Rodney. "Cody, you do know how to overload a naquidah reactor, don't you?"

"Hard-wire the prion collectors to the main control grid?"

"Not how I'd do it, but it works."

Colonel Samantha Carter had resumed command of the _Hammond_, and made contact with Captain Rabb aboard the _Odyssey_, who had already made contact with Colonel Ellis aboard the _Apollo_.

"Good to see you again, Sam," greeted Rabb.

"Likewise, Harm. I wish it could be under better circumstances. What do you have so far?"

Drawing on his background as an investigator, Rabb had been able to deduce quite a bit from the data Ellis had provided him.

"As you know, all of the guests and staff aboard the _Tipton _have been thoroughly screened. Unfortunately, since the protein markers are easy enough to mask, most Goa'uld detection systems still rely upon naquidah detection. In my estimation, our prime suspect is this man."

Rabb brought up a picture of a vaguely reptilian-looking humanoid.

"Latka of the Unas. This photo was provided by the Tok'ra, and is outdated by a number of centuries. It's impossible to locate a recent photo of him because he changes hosts frequently. As of our last contact with the Tok'ra, they believed him to be on earth. Since he's believed to be a native of P3X-888, and thus has no naquidah in his system, authorities on earth have been unable to verify this.

"Now, after the destruction of Dakara, the Free Jaffa Nation has splintered into a number of factions. One of the largest of these factions is New Chulak separatist movement. They're rumored to have accepted a number of former Goa'uld underlords and former Tok'ra into the fold in a sort of cooperative agreement. In addition, at least two of their key figures are known to have been in contact with Latka. Some believe he's their _de facto _leader. If this is true, he may not have the strength to mount a full military campaign, but he's certainly powerful enough to hijack a cruise ship."

"Sounds like a solid lead," agreed Carter. "I recommend we contact General Landry and arrange to have SG teams dispatched to the inhabited worlds where New Chulak cells have been spotted. In the meantime, we should split up and investigate the uninhabited gate worlds on our list."

"Agreed," said Rabb. "We'll make contact again in six hours. _Odyssey _out."

London and Newt sat atop one of the lifts for some time, waiting for someone to take it up to deck two. Finally, they arrived at their destination, forced the door open, and zatted the security cameras before proceeding down the corridor.

"I'm hoping they'll think it was a simple malfunction," said London.

"No Jaffa here," observed Newt.

"They probably cleared this section out first," explained London. "And they probably figure I wouldn't be stupid enough to try and go back to my suite."

"Yeah," acknowledged Newt. "So why are we going there, then?"

"You'll see."

London used the key-fob to open her suite door, and led Newt into the back of her walk-in closet, where she removed the wall containing her shoe rack, which revealed a room with systems lining the walls, and a large, important-looking system about the size of a coffin in the center.

"So let me get this straight: The naquidah reactor is in your closet?"

London grinned. "Last place anyone would look for it."

London found a small toolkit and set about rigging the reactor. Just then, her phone rang, which she handed to Newt to answer. He answered it on mute, as London had done before.

"Hello again, London," greeted Patrick. "Despite my earlier demonstration, it seems you still aren't taking me seriously. Your ability to shut me out is, admirable. However, I've seen you around the ship quite a bit with Mr. Livingston these past few weeks. Perhaps with his help, I can get through to you."

"No," gasped Newt, sensing what Patrick was about to do.

"Get your damn hands off me, you bastards!" protested Cory Baxter as the Jaffa struggled to march him stage. Another Jaffa whacked him in the stomach with a staff weapon, and the two of them carried him as he writhed in agony. They then sat him on the chair, as they'd done with the First Lady.

"Please," Meena could be heard pleading in the background. "Don't harm him! Take me instead! I beg you!"

Newt took his finger off the mute button and joined in Meena's pleas for Cory's life.

"Let him go, you bastards! He didn't do anything!"

Ignoring the pleas of both of Cory's dearest friends, a Jaffa just out of frame primed his staff weapon, then ended the life of Cory Baxter with a blast of energy.

"No!" cried Newt and Meena at the same.

Patrick turned the camera on Meena. Great gushing rivers of tears could be seen streaming from her eyes as she wailed uncontrollably, with two Jaffa barely able to keep hold of her.

"You killed him!" cried Meena. "You depraved, heartless bastards!" She then proceeded to throw every cuss words in the Bahavian language at them.

Patrick turned the camera back on himself. "Now, Mr. Livingston, perhaps you can impress upon Miss Tipton the gravity of your collective situation. I'll be in touch."

Newt dropped the phone, then crawled into a corner and cried with abandon. London sat down next to him and put her arms around him, allowing him to lean into her.

"I am so sorry, Newt," said London, beginning to cry her. "This is all my fault."

"No," sobbed Newt. "It's not you're fault. It's nobody's fault except that sick son of a bitch who killed my best friend."

Newt trembled as he clenched his fist. "He's gonna pay. He's gonna pay big-time. We're gonna finish this job, we're gonna find that monster, and I'm gonna rip out his fraking small intestine and hang him with it!"

"Good," said London flatly. "I need you to channel that anger right now."

"What have you got for me?"

"See all this stuff along the walls?"

Newt nodded.

"That's the ejection mechanism, set to go off when the core overloads. I need you to destroy it, make sure this reactor does not eject."

Newt found a wrecker bar among available tools. He produced his subspace phone from his pocket, set it on speaker, and brought up a playlist in mp3 mode. He set about his work as the music started:

_Its just one of those days _

_When you don't wanna wake up_

_Everything is fucked_

_Everybody sucks_

_You don't really know why_

_But you want to justify_

_Rippin' someone's head off_

_No human contact_

_And if you interact_

_Your life is on contract_

_Your best bet is to stay away, motherfucker_

_It's just one of those days_

_Its all about the "He said; she said" bullshit_

_I think you better quit_

_Lettin' shit slip_

_Or you'll be leavin' with a fat lip_

_Its all about the "He said; she said" bullshit_

_I think you better quit _

_Talkin' that shit, punk_

_So come and get it_

Boiling over with every emotion possible, twisted as it was, London couldn't help but laugh out loud at the raw brutality with which Newt dispatched with the ejection systems. Sparks and pieces of metal flew all over the the compartment. When the song finished, Newt had pretty thoroughly wrecked the compartment.

As London and Newt made their exit, London seat the hatch with a laser welder, then did likewise to her cabin door as they exited. They had almost reached the maintenance hatch when two Jaffa emerged from the cabin doors on either side directly ahead of them and held them at bay with staff weapons. Before they could turn around, the could each feel the business end of a staff weapon on their necks as two more Jaffa emerged from the rooms behind. They marched them to the lift doors, from which emerged Patrick.

"Nice work, London," complimented Patrick. "But not nice enough."

**End of Chapter Ten**

_A/N: I'm changing this story's rating to better suit the content and themes in these recent chapters._

Song Credits:

"Break Stuff"

Written by W. Borland, F. Durst, J. Otto, S. Rivers

Originally performed by Limp Bizkit

From the album _Significant Other _(1999)


	11. The Late, Great Starship Tipton

**Above the Highest Seas**

**By**

**James Doyle**

Chapter Eleven: The Late, Great Starship Tipton

The Jaffa on the planet's surface continued to load the raw naquidah onto the ship.

"Why are we wasting our time with this errand?" asked one of them.

"It is as Latka told us," explained his comrade. "He wishes to leave no trace of the _Tipton_, lest someone else find fragments of her technology and use it against us."

"He is paranoid."

"That is he is. But he is also very thorough."

Just then, one of them heard a faint rumbling in the distance. He looked up and saw a rock slide, including several large boulders.

"Jaffa! Kree!" he yelled, signaling the others to clear out of the way as well. As they did so, they found themselves picked off by zat-fire, one by one. Zack and Maddie seized their staff weapons, and Zack laid down cover fire as Maddie charged toward the ship. As she got closer, she switched back to the zat, fighting her way in as Zack helped pick them off from a distance. Maddie went inside the ship for a few minutes, then came back out and signaled Zack with a mirror to indicate that the coast was clear. Zack followed Maddie's path, giving each Jaffa a second shot with the zat to finish the job.

Zack joined Maddie in the ship, and Maddie sealed the hatch behind him, in case of any stragglers.

"Do you think you can fly this thing?" asked Zack.

"I think so," replied Maddie. "But I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Why not?" asked Zack. "We can get back to the Stargate, dial earth, and call for help."

"If I'm reading this display correctly, there's two Al'kesh guarding the _Tipton_, and another two patrolling in low orbit. They'll shoot us down before we can get close. We need to get these rings working."

"You know how to do that, right?"

"Operate a ring transporter? Yes. Read Goa'uld? No."

Zack examined a few other readouts to determine anything useful.

"Maddie, look at this," commented Zack. "This looks like a gate address."

Maddie took a moment to interpret the symbols. "P2L-994. At least we know where we are."

"Could we raise earth on the subspace?"

Maddie tried opening a channel, only to hear heavy static.

"Long-range communications are being jammed. We could use short-range radio to contact the ship, but that would give away our position."

"No choice but to go in, guns blazing, huh?" commented Zack.

"That's about the size of it."

The Jaffa brought London to the infirmary, where she found Rodney already strapped to a bed. He shot her a look that told her he had succeeded in rigging the other naquidah reactor and the hyperdrive.

"Where are they?" they heard Patrick yell from the corridor.

"We haven't heard from the cargo ship that was supposed to pick them up from the Stargate," replied the Jaffa.

"Well, send another one, and send a couple of gliders to the surface to figure out what happened. What about the naquidah reactors?"

"They're sealed off, sir. If we blast them open, the naquidah will amplify the explosion and destroy the entire ship."

"Fine," grumbled Patrick. "Leave them be."

Patrick entered the infirmary a moment later.

"I'm sorry you had to listen to that," said Patrick. "Good help can be so hard to find."

"Oh, stuff a sock in it, Patrick," quipped London.

"I no longer have any need of that moniker," replied Patrick. "You may refer to me as Latka."

"So what now, Latka?" asked London, emphasizing his name. "Are you going to try and beat the information out of us?"

"No, I'm afraid the information I need is far too complex to be extracted using such primitive methods. Indeed, you're about to become very well-acquainted with two very good friends of mine named Morat and Shanga."

"You're going to implant us with Goa'uld symbiotes," deduced Rodney.

"Very perceptive, Dr. Kay," praised Latka.

"So why not just take us to your ship and do it?" asked London.

"Things have been known to go wrong," explained Latka. "I want to make sure we have the proper facilities in case the implantation doesn't take."

The lobby of the _Tipton _sat empty, save for a few Jaffa guarding the ring transporter. When said transporter activated unexpectedly, the Jaffa stood ready to blast whatever came in. By the time they realized it was a flash bomb, it had already gone off. The transporter activated once again, and replaced the bomb with Zack and Maddie.

"Sometimes it's so easy, I'm ashamed of myself," boasted Zack.

Maddie returned his smile, then walked over to the front desk to access the security cameras. As she did this, Zack zatted the Jaffa to make sure they stayed down.

"All of the military and secret service are in the ballroom," noted Maddie. "The rest of the crew and passengers are probably locked in their cabins."

"How many Jaffa in the ballroom?" asked Zack.

"About twenty."

"We can take 'em," said Zack as he activated the rings, retrieving the flash bomb.

A few minutes later, the main blast door into the ballroom opened. Zack fired a few zat shots. Two Jaffa quickly chased after him, at which point they were blasted from the side by Maddie. Before the remaining Jaffa could call for backup, Zack rolled a flash bomb into the ballroom, rendering them unconscious.

"Only thing better than beating 'em with an old trick is beating 'em with an old trick twice," quipped Zack as he zatted the security cameras, then saw to it that the Jaffa stayed down.

"Colonel Mitchell," called Maddie as she slapped him out of his daze.

"Fitzpatrick," replied Mitchell. "How did you get here?"

"I'll explain later," she said as she untied him and Carey. "Ew, what is that smell?"

"Fifteen hundred people who haven't showered or been allowed to go to the bathroom for half a day," answered Mitchell.

"Anyway," continued Maddie. "We need to find London and Maddie. We don't want these guys finding out what they know."

"Right," acknowledged Mitchell. "Some Jaffa brought Livingston and some others in here. I think they said they were headed for the infirmary."

"Carey," said Mitchell as he awakened her.

"Hey, I'm untied!" exclaimed Carey.

"Yeah, you can thank your son and Fitzpatrick for that later. Right now, I need you to start untying people. Start with Arwin and a few marines, see if they can't restore computer control."

"I'm on it," replied Carey.

"Martin, you help her," ordered Mitchell. "Fitzpatrick, you're with me."

Mitchell and Maddie appropriated a pair of staff weapons and headed for the infirmary.

A Jaffa reported to Latka as he impatiently waited with London and Rodney for their symbiotes to arrive.

"Where the hell are my symbiotes?" demanded Latka.

"They're en route, sir," reported the Jaffa. "But we more pressing problems. Our guards in the ballroom have been overwhelmed. Several people have escaped, and two of them are headed this way."

"Stop them," ordered Latka. "Send reinforcements to ballroom. Kill every last one of them!"

Just then an alarm sounded.

"What in the name of the Orici is going on now?" demanded Latka.

"Warning, naquidah reactor overload," answered London Tipton's recorded voice. "Automated ejection systems inoperative. Cascade reaction imminent. Estimated time to overload: twenty-five minutes."

"Take these two with us," ordered Latka. "We're leaving."

Two Jaffa wheeled Rodney and London out of the infirmary and down the corridor, still strapped to their beds. As they came to the lifts, they found themselves faced with Maddie and Mitchell.

"Hold it right there," ordered Mitchell, he and Maddie holding both of them at bay with staff weapons. Behind them, they heard a mob of angry passengers, who had been released from their cabins by the general alert.

"You're on your own, Latka," said the Jaffa, dropping his staff weapon and running between Maddie and Mitchell. Unconcerned with him, they let him through. Thinking quickly, Latka pushed the two hospital beds at them, and escaped between them. Mitchell and Maddie backed up against the wall and let the horde through before untying London and Rodney. Just then, London's subspace phone rang.

"What?" demanded London, thinking Latka wanted to toss off a one-liner before escaping.

"It's Arwin," said the caller, to her pleasant surprise. "We have systems control. However, I can't stop the reactor overload."

"I know," said London. "Activate the lifeboats."

"All of them asked Arwin?"

"No!" interrupted Maddie overhearing the conversation. Not sure what to think, London handed Maddie the phone.

"Listen carefully, Arwin. Activate lifeboats one, five, ten, eleven, fifteen, and twenty. Override passenger protocols; fill them to capacity. I don't have time to explain."

"Sure thing, Maddie," replied Arwin.

"What was that all about?" demanded Mitchell as Maddie hung up the phone.

"There are five Al'kesh out there, and who knows how many smaller craft," explained Maddie.

"What kind of weapons do the lifeboats have?" asked Mitchell.

"Minimal," informed Maddie. "Basic shields and Wraith blasters only. That's we should fly six groups three: one lifeboat, and two decoys. If we split up and spread them as thin as possible, we should make it to the Stargate."

"Good thinking," praised Mitchell. "Round up the lifeboat pilots."

"Sir, I know he's not specifically trained for this, but I think he should fly with us. I think he's just crazy enough to pull this off."

Mitchell pondered for a second, then nodded in agreement.

"Excuse me?" interrupted Rodney. "Could we talk _and _get the hell out of Dodge, please?"

"On my six," ordered Mitchell, and the others followed him.

When they arrived in the lobby, some passengers immediately headed for the lifeboats, but some goaded the Jaffa into the ring transporter with staff weapons, which kept the device running pretty much non-stop.

"I couldn't help but notice that we're under attack," said Mitchell as he found Arwin.

"The cool thing about a naquidah reactor overload is gives you a nice power boost," informed Arwin. "I've transferred additional power to the shields. They should hold until we're out of here."

In the outer corridors of the ship, people ran, as they'd been drilled to do, into the beam of the nearest lifeboat. As the lifeboats nearest the ends were filling up fastest, Latka found the middle of the corridor to be empty. Discretely, he took a tablet PC and tried to duplicate the action Arwin had shown a few weeks ago, so as to activate a lifeboat.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?" called the voice of Newt Livingston, who shot him in the leg with a staff weapon.

"I always knew you were a coward," said Newt, before jabbing Latka in the side with the butt of the weapon.

"You killed my best friend," he said as he jabbed Latka in the stomach. "And you left Sophie without a mother," he said as he poked at the leg wound he had inflicted. "And you tried to make the woman I loved a prisoner in her own body," he said as he stomped on Latka's testicles. "And for what? So you could live in your own little world without us pesky earthlings around to tell you what a monster you are?"

"You sanctimonious little hatchling," insulted Latka. "You really do think you're better than me, don't you?"

"I am better than you."

"And just how is that?"

"Because I lost someone I cared about today. I'm going to have to suffer for the rest of my life," said Newt as he spun the staff weapon around and primed it. "But your suffering ends right now." With that, he finished Latka with a staff blast to the face. He then laid his staff weapon upon the corpse.

"Newt!" called Meena out of a side corridor. "Oh, thank goodness! London's been looking for..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she beheld the remains of Latka.

"Newt, you didn't? Did you?"

"It's better that you don't know."

Meena led Newt to London, who awaited him just outside the beam of one of the lifeboats. They embraced tightly for a moment, before Newt took hold of the two women most dear to him, and walked into the lifeboat beam with them.

For security, Arwin disabled the ring transporter. Marines and Secret Service rounded up and disarmed the few remaining Jaffa and sent them into the lifeboat queue, deciding to deal with them when the dust settled. When the lifeboats had filled up, all that remained were the twenty lifeboat pilots.

"Boat one goes with alpha squadron," ordered Mitchell. "Captain Nuñez will command. Boat five goes with beta squadron. Fitzpatrick will command. Boat ten goes with delta squadron. McKay will command. Boat eleven goes with gamma squadron. Jackson will command. Boat fifteen goes with epsilon squadron. First mate Schiller will command. I'm in command of theta squadron and boat twenty. Stargate is at minus two five point one eight latitude, one six one point five two longitude. Each group will take a different flight path and dial to a different evac site. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir!" the replied in unison.

"Very good. Let's move out."

Zack and Maddie made their way down the corridor, where Maddie stopped to see Zack off at his lifeboat before boarding her own.

"Think you can handle this?" asked Maddie.

"Don't worry, Sweet Thang," replied Zack. "I got this," he said, doing his best George Lopez impression.

Incredibly turned-on by his bravado, Maddie seized Zack by the face and kissed him.

"Cascade reaction in progress," interrupted the computer voice. "Estimated time to self-destruct: five minutes."

The two of them parted and boarded their aircraft.

"Farewell, good ship _Tipton_," said Captain Nuñez, with a tear in his eye, on the other side of the ship. "We hardly knew ye."

"All units report," commanded Maddie.

"Ready," reported Zack.

"Ready," reported Lisa, Maddie's assistant.

"All units: Launch!"

The spike-shaped lifeboats of beta squadron sped away from the _Tipton. _Enemy fire was minimal as they passed through the force-shield, as the Al'kesh had moved some distance away to avoid the cascade reaction. However, shortly before they hit atmosphere, a pair of death gliders came up on their six. Zack did a loop and took them out from behind.

As the lifeboats entered the atmosphere, they gave off a shrill, high-pitch scream, especially when making high-speed maneuvers. The boats of beta squadron flew at low altitudes through mountains, canyons, and deserts.

"Stargate within range," reported the computer voice.

"Activate remote DHD," ordered Maddie.

"Remote DHD activated," reported the computer as the image of a Stargate appeared on Maddie's heads-up display.

"Auto-dial sequence for P3A-115," ordered Maddie. The seven symbols appeared in a line, then hovered above the appropriate chevron as each one engaged.

"Gate connection established," reported the computer.

"Stand by," ordered Maddie.

As they approached the Stargate, they shifted positions several times so as to confuse the death gliders bearing down on them. After a few unsuccessful passes, Lisa's boat was finally in position.

"Transmit IDC," Maddie quickly ordered. Unseen to her, Lisa's boat passed through the Stargate.

"I'm through," came a garbled transmission from Lisa.

"Shut it down," ordered Maddie.

"Gate connection terminated," reported the computer.

Zack and Maddie peeled off and headed back toward the mountains. When they had lost the death gliders tailing them, they doubled back and headed for the Stargate.

"Alpha squadron is on approach," informed Maddie. "Let's lay down some cover fire."

"Roger that," confirmed Zack.

Zack and Maddie came in behind the gliders pursuing alpha squadron and picked a few of them off before two others began chasing them. Zack peeled off and drew their fire while Maddie picked off a few more of the gliders in pursuit. When alpha squadron's boat disappeared through the Stargate, she escorted one of the other two craft away from the gate. Unfortunately, Zack couldn't arrive in time to escort the other one, and fire from a staff cannon sent Captain Nuñez crashing to a fiery death.

"I'm sorry," said Zack somberly.

"There's nothing you could have done," assured Maddie.

A few moments later, theta squadron arrived with death gliders in pursuit. In addition, an Al'kesh was bearing down on them.

"I have an idea," said Zack.

"I'm with you," replied Maddie.

Zack took off straight up into the air, with Maddie following his lead. The less-maneuverable death gliders pursued them, only to be overwhelmed when they came about and rained fire on them, the other two squadrons, and the Al'kesh. After theta squadron's boat passed through the Stargate, the two remaining boats followed suit. The Al'kesh turned to attack them, exposing its keel to the incoming gamma squadron, which fired upon the craft and sent it crashing to the ground. Delta squadron came in behind them, covering their sixes as gamma's boat passed through the Stargate. Zack and Maddie joined delta as they returned the favor and allowed delta's boat the pass.

"Alright, people," announced Colonel Mitchell. "One lifeboat left. Let's take out the trash."

The first five squadrons went on the offensive, taking out death gliders from every possible angle. This made an easy go of things when epsilon squadron's boat passed through the Stargate. As the remaining boats began to assume formation, two Al'kesh flanked them, along with two more squadrons of death gliders. While attempting to cover Maddie's six, one of them took out Zack's main AG unit, causing his boat to crash into the forest below.

"You want me," growled Maddie through gritted teeth. "Here I come, assholes!"

In a fit of rage, she made a kamikaze run toward one of the Al'kesh. Just as she was about to make impact, an Asgard beam yanked her out of the cockpit, causing the boat crash into the Al'kesh of its own accord.

The next thing Maddie knew, she was in the infirmary aboard the _Odyssey, _where a corpsman tended to her minor injuries.

"Zack!" she called out.

"We've got him," yelled a doctor from the other side of the room. "He's banged up pretty bad, but he'll pull through."

Maddie sat alone in the mess hall, sipping a cup of tea as she waited for news of any sort while the _Odyssey _sped back to earth.

"Mind if I join you?" asked Captain Rabb.

"Please," said Maddie, pointing to the seat opposite her.

"Did we finish off those Jaffa?" asked Maddie.

"I don't know," answered Rabb. "Our only concern was getting you out of there. We didn't stick around for the after-party."

"I appreciate it," said Maddie. "How did you find us?"

"Lucky shot. We figured Latka didn't want to be disturbed, so we looked for the planet within range with the least amount of recent activity. Turns out P5N-771 hadn't seen much action since most of the naquidah mines dried up eighty years ago and the Goa'uld abandoned it. There wasn't anything left of the _Tipton _bigger than my thumbnail by the time we got there, but we saw some fighting going on around the gate. Sure enough, you were there."

"The _Tipton,_" echoed Maddie. "She really is gone, isn't she?"

"Gone, but not forgotten," said Rabb. "And I doubt she'll be the last starship flying the Tipton corporate flag."

"Yeah," said Maddie, not finding much consolation in that.

"What you did back there was very brave," praised Rabb.

"Thanks," said Maddie. "I couldn't have done it without Zack. He inspires me to take risks I wouldn't otherwise take. Risks that always prove worthwhile."

_Loving him was one of them_, she thought to herself.

"Earth's Stargate will be running non-stop for the next two weeks getting people home. But thanks to you, all of the passengers are safe and sound."

"Almost all of them," corrected Maddie. "I just hope Mrs. Martinez, Cory, and Captain Nuñez are well wherever they are."

"Excuse me, sir," interrupted a corpsman. "Miss Fitzpatrick, Mr. Martin is awake and would like to see you."

"Thank you," said Maddie. "Will you excuse me, Captain?"

Rabb nodded. "Of course."

Maddie made her way to the infirmary, where she found Zack with a bandage wrapped around his head and covering one eye, another wrapped around his chest, a sling on his left arm, and both legs in traction.

"Oh Zack," cried Maddie. "Thank God you're okay!"

"Relatively speaking," added Zack. "I'm afraid last night's encounter will have to hold you over for awhile."

Maddie laughed, then kissed him gently on the lips.

"I heard you made a kamikaze run at that Goa'uld ship," noted Zack. "You weren't committing suicide because you thought I was dead, were you?"

"No," said Maddie. "You laid your life on the line to give your wing-men a fighting chance of getting home alive. I knew that if I wanted to truly honor you, I could do no less."

"You know, I'm not going to stop taking risks," stated Zack. "Even I did, you could still lose me one of these days."

"I know," said Maddie as she sat at his side and took his good hand in hers. "But I have you today. And today, that's all that matters."

"I love you, Maddie," said Zack.

"And I love you, Zack."

**End of Chapter Eleven**

_The story will conclude in the next chapter, which will be short._


	12. Epilogue

**Above the Highest Seas**

**By**

**James Doyle**

Epilogue

Memorandum:

Top Secret  
IOA Level 3 Security Clearance Required

My Fellow Galactic Citizens:

It is with a heavy heart that I address to today. A grief like no other is mine to bear. Five days ago, in distant part of the galaxy, I lost my beloved bride of twelve years at the hands of lawless men who would endanger the life and liberty of all in this galaxy who love freedom, in the service of their own selfish agenda. I take some small amount of comfort knowing that in a short time, I will be allowed to tell the American people that their First Lady did, indeed, give her life for something greater. Only then can we properly mourn her.

In the midst of my grief, I will remain strong, and I will continue to serve the people of these United States, as well as humans and aliens throughout the three galaxies. The nations of the International Oversight Advisory remain undeterred in their resolve to bring peace, liberty, and justice to the stars.

To those of who fought, and especially to those who gave their lives, in order that the passengers and crew of the _CSV Tipton, _especially my daughter Sophie,might return home safely, I extend my most heartfelt thanks and appreciation.

May God bless and keep all of you as we move forward in this unprecedented moment in history.

Your Faithful Servant,

President Richard Martinez

On the grounds of Area 51, a top-secret memorial service was held for Cory Baxter, Elizabeth Martinez, and Captain Erasmo Nuñez, which the passengers and crew of the _Tipton_, as well as designated friends and family of the deceased were invited to attend. The President delivered a eulogy, breaking out in tears several times as he delivered it. Carey Martin, Newt Livingston and Meena Paroom delivered a haunting a capella rendition of _Amazing Grace_.

"Raven," called London Tipton after the service, catching up to her. "I don't know you if you remember, but we've met."

"Yes," said Raven. "I remember."

"I don't know how much they told you about what happened to Cory. I don't know how much I'm supposed to tell you. But I want you to know, he was very brave, and he went down fighting."

"I know," said Raven. "Don't ask me how, but I saw everything." Raven began to sob. "I told him not to go, but he said everything would be alright."

"I'm so sorry," said London, beginning to cry herself. "This is my fault."

"No," sobbed Raven. "It's not. I don't blame you. Nobody does."

Raven threw her arms around London. "And it means a lot to me to hear good things about my baby brother from you."

Raven looked over to her father, Victor Baxter, who was comforting his heretofore estranged wife Tanya.

"They've been separated for a couple of years now. Who knows? Maybe some good will come of this."

"I hope so," said London. "And I know you'll comfort one another with the same courage and strength Cory had in life."

Raven nodded. "I have to go. It was good seeing you again."

"You too," said London. The two girls exchanged a brief hug before Raven went off with her family.

After Raven left, London spied Cody and Bailey, both looking elegant yet somber.

"Hey London," greeted Bailey, drawing her in for hug, of which London also gave Cody.

"Hi guys," she greeted. "Sorry I haven't been in touch. Things have been so hectic lately."

"No need to apologize," Bailey assured her.

"What have guys been up to lately?"

"We've been spending some time with Bailey's family back in Kettlecorn," volunteered Cody.

"I'd really like to go back into space, but after that ordeal, I really needed some quality time on Terra Firma," added Bailey.

"I understand perfectly," said London. "I'm glad to see you guys have worked things out."

"Weren't you the one who was always telling me to break up with Cody?"

"Yeah," admitted London. "One of many things I was wrong about."

A moment later, Rodney McKay approached them, with his arm around a beautiful young woman they'd only seen in pictures.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet my fiancee, Dr. Jennifer Keller," introduced Rodney.

A flurry of hugs and congratulations followed.

"I went to meet him when he returned to earth," recounted Jennifer. "I don't know where he got the ring, but he went down on bended knee and proposed right there in the gate room. It was the most romantic thing ever."

"So what's next for you guys?" asked London.

"Well," said Rodney. "Jennifer has accepted a position as Chief of Surgery at University Hospital on Hebridan, and I'm going with her."

"And what will you be doing?" asked Bailey.

"At this point," admitted Rodney. "I really don't care. I'm sure I'll find something to keep myself busy that has nothing whatever to do with the IOA."

"Speaking of which," added Jennifer. "We need to finish packing. We have a Stargate transit scheduled for tomorrow."

"We need to get going, too," said Cody.

"Take care of yourselves," said London. "And don't be a stranger."

"Don't worry, we won't," assured Bailey.

London looked on as Newt hugged Meena before she got into the limo with her father and rode off. London took Newt's arm as he approached, and the two of them headed for her limo.

"I didn't see Moseby here," observed Newt.

"He was here," noted London. "He had to get going pretty soon after the service. Dad's eager to get him up to speed now that he's safely back on earth."

"Was Miss Tutweiler with him?"

"She was," confirmed London. "She's actually taken a job as Moseby's administrative assistant. Seems she's had enough of teaching for awhile."

"It always seemed to me that they like each other."

"They're officially dating now. After surviving this ordeal, they decided it wouldn't do to beat around the bush any longer."

"London, there's something important I need to say."

London turned to face him. "Yes, of course."

"I'm in love with you, and I really want a relationship with you."

"I want that, too," confessed London.

"And we can. But you have to understand something: Meena is my friend, and she always will be. Cory's death has hit both of us pretty hard. We're going to need each other to get through this. So if I need to spend time with her, please don't think that I'm neglecting you, or that she's taking your place."

"I understand, Newt," said London. "I'm happy to give you some space to help Meena through this. We can make this work."

"Thanks, London," said Newt, throwing his arms around her. "I knew you'd understand."

Meanwhile, Carey Martin and Colonel Mitchell made their way back toward the Air Force motorcade, arm-in-arm.

"Well, Colonel," said Carey. "I'd be lying if I said being taken hostage is in any way pleasant. But I couldn't think of anyone better to keep me company."

"Not even Mr. Clooney?" teased Mitchell.

"Oh, please," retorted Carey. "I am so over George! You're my hero now."

"Considering that our last dinner together did not go particularly well," said Mitchell, "I would very much like a do-over. I will be off-world for the next week, but I'd like to see you when I get back."

Carey reached into her purse and handed Mitchell her business card. "Call me when you do."

Mitchell cast his trademark half-smile at her. "Count on it."

Two months later, the Asgard beam brought Zack Martin and Maddie Fitzpatrick into the fighter bay aboard the _Hammond, _mid-kiss, with Zack's shirt off and Maddie's unbuttoned.

"We're not interrupting anything, are we?" asked General Jack O'Neill.

"General," said Maddie with an embarrassed quiver in her voice as she button up her shirt. "I was told to expect a call from you, but I wasn't expecting something quite so abrupt."

"Yeah, I've been told I need to work on my people skills," O'Neill half-apologized. "Are you just gonna stand there shirtless, kid?"

"Sorry, sir," apologized Zack. "I don't suppose you could beam up my shirt."

"Here, put this on," interjected Colonel Mitchell, tossing Zack a pair of flight coveralls.

"With all due respect, just what are we doing here?" asked Maddie, starting to get the hint from Zack's coveralls.

"That was some pretty fancy flying back there, Fitzpatrick," complimented Mitchell. "You too, Martin."

"Thank you, sir," they replied in unison.

"So how would you like to fly one of these?" asked General O'Neill. Zack and Maddie turned to see what O'Neill point to: A small group of highly advanced arrowhead-shaped compact spacecraft.

"I give you the F-309 Jump Fighter," presented O'Neill. "Powered by ZPM with a miniaturized hyperdrive, both courtesy of our friend London Tipton. Asgard-inspired shields and particle weapons, advanced AG system which eliminates the need for wings and thrusters, remote DHD, designed to travel through a Stargate, and Asgard beam ejection system."

"I'm real keen on that last one," commented Zack.

"You guys saved our asses back there," added Mitchell. "We could really use people like you on our team."

"Martin here would have to finish high school, of course," continued O'Neill. "But once that's done, we'll put both on a fast track through OCS and get you into flight school. You could behind the stick of one of these birds in two years. How about it?"

"I'm definitely interested," said Maddie.

"Me too," said Zack.

"As for you, young man," said O'Neill, putting an arm around Zack. "We'll get you into a great military prep program. It'll look great on your service record."

Zack chuckled. "I can't wait to tell Moseby I'm voluntarily going to military school."

"What's on your mind, Fitzpatrick?" asked Colonel Mitchell as Maddie watched Zack interact with General O'Neill.

"Just thinking about how much my life has changed over the past year. Me and everybody I know."

"I hear ya on that one," agreed Mitchell. "The future's coming at us, Fitzpatrick. Faster than life."

**The End**

_I have to say, this has been a lot of fun to write. Keep your eye out for the next story in the _Faster Than Life _series!_


End file.
